Heat closing in on .500 with win over Timberwolves
MIAMI -- The Miami Heat, which started the season 11-30, continued its amazing turnaround, drawing to within one game of .500 with a 123-105 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Miami (34-35), which is 23-5 in its past 28 games, was led by reserve guard Tyler Johnson, who had 23 points, and center Hassan Whiteside, who had 23 points and 14 rebounds.
Heat point guard Goran Dragic had 12 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 10 assists. Miami shot a season-best 58.8 percent from the floor.
The Heat win was marred by an injury to Dion Waiters' left ankle. Waiters, Miami's starting shooting guard, left the game with 3:24 left in the second quarter and did not return, although the Heat said X-rays were negative.
Waiters got hurt while driving to the rim and landing on the foot of a Minnesota defender. Waiters had six points on 3-for-3 shooting at the time of his departure.
For the season, Waiters is Miami's third-leading scorer. He is averaging 16.1 points, 4.4 assists and 3.4 rebounds in 46 games.
Minnesota (28-40) fell to 10-22 on the road this season. The Timberwolves were led by Karl-Anthony Towns, who had 31 points and 11 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins added 26 points, and point guard Ricky Rubio contributed 20 points and six assists.
Wiggins had a hot start, scoring 13 points in the first quarter on 6-for-9 shooting, including a 3-pointer. Still, the Heat, with balanced scoring, shot 54.5 percent in the first quarter and had a 27-23 lead at the buzzer.
Miami closed the second quarter on a 10-2 run and took a 64-49 lead into halftime. Miami shot a blistering 64.3 percent in the first half, which compared favorably with Minnesota's 45.5 percent marksmanship.
With Waiters gone, Johnson took over in the third quarter with 15 points, making it his highest-scoring period of the season. He made all six of his shots in the quarter, including a dunk in traffic, a soaring tip-in and a 3-pointer.
But as good as Johnson was in the third, Minnesota cut into its deficit thanks to 12 points from Wiggins. Miami headed into the fourth quarter with a 90-81 lead.
Minnesota cut Miami's lead to just six points on a Rubio jumper with 8:14 left in the fourth quarter. But a Miami 11-0 run put the game away for the Heat.
NOTES: Heat C Hassan Whiteside produced his 11th straight double-double, which tied Rony Seikaly's franchise record set in 1992. ... Miami's five-game homestand reaches its midway point on Sunday when the Portland Trail Blazers visit. ... Two Timberwolves reserves -- SG Lance Stephenson and F Nemanja Bjelica -- sat out after leaving Wednesday's game due to left-ankle injuries. Bjelica, who has played 65 games this season, averaging 6.2 points and 3.8 rebounds, has been shut out for the rest of the year. ... The Timberwolves, who are likely to miss the playoffs for the 13th consecutive season, will play at the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.