Dragic’s last-second lob to Adebayo and a defensive stand in OT help Heat claw out win
With 1.9 seconds separating the Miami Heat from a rare second straight loss, Erik Spoelstra had to manufacture a bucket. Jimmy Butler was out with right hip soreness and the Heat’s offense was disjointed without him.
The coach set up Goran Dragic on the left sideline and told the guard to throw one perfect lob. Bam Adebayo streaked to the the rim and Dragic fired a laser toward the hoop. In less than a second, the star post player dropped in a game-tying shot to force overtime against the Sacramento Kings. The Heat had the second life it needed to pull out a 118-113 win in front of 19,600 in Miami and avoid dropping two and a row for just the second time all season.
Adebayo, who scored just five points in the first quarters, scored seven in the fourth quarter and finished with 16 to spark the Heat’s late push past the Kings.
Miami (30-13) never led in the final period and didn’t even tie the game until swingman Duncan Robinson hit a three-pointer with 29.5 seconds remaining. The Heat briefly got the stop it needed, but Nemanja Bjelica hurt Miami the way Sacramento (15-28) had all night. The sharpshooting power forward muscled his way past Dragic to grab an offensive rebound and score a putback to put the Kings ahead 105-103 with 1.9 seconds left. Sacramento grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and outscored the Heat, 25-8, in second-chance points to punish Miami despite shooting just 41.9 percent from the field at AmericanAirlines Arena.
The Heat struck first in overtime with another lob from Dragic to Adebayo, then two more free throws by Adebayo. The Kings briefly snatched the overtime lead on back-to-back threes by shooting guard Buddy Hield before a dunk by forward James Johnson and a three by rookie standout Kendrick Nunn gave Miami the lead for good at 114-113 with 1:55 left. The Heat’s defense, which allowed the Kings to score on six of their final seven possessions in regulation, shut out Sacramento for the final 2:05 to seal the win.
