Five Stars: Whiteside Strong In Heat Loss To Hawks

First Star

Hassan Whiteside (MIA) 24.6

Whiteside, Miami's starter in the middle, was a beast on both ends of the floor for Miami on Tuesday night. He hit 11-of-12 from the field, collecting 14 rebounds (five of them on the offensive boards) and blocked four shots. During his 31:02, the Heat were outscored by four points, which only goes to show that it takes a whole team to win in the NBA. Whiteside is only the third center in franchise history to have a game with 11-of-12 shooting and four or more blocks, along with Alonzo Mourning and Shaquille O'Neal.

We were able to fight back. That is an admirable quality of this group. But learning how close the margin for error can be is a lesson. - Heat coach Erik Spoelstra

Second Star

Jeff Teague (ATL) 23.0

Teague registered a game-high plus-20 rating as the Hawks' starting point guard in Atlanta's six-point win over the Heat. He appeared on the court for 34:23, scoring a game-high 26 points on nine-of-18 shooting, including two three-pointers on two attempts. He went six-for seven from the line with a game-high nine assists, four rebounds, and a steal.

Tonight was one of our better games. I know it's five games in. They test you in a lot of ways. It's a step in the right direction. - Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer

Third Star

Goran Dragic (MIA) 18.4

Those onhand at American Airlines Arena last night were a witness to the "Return of the Dragon," at least in his return to the Five Stars, at any rate. In 32:10, he drained six-of-11 shots overall, including three-of-five from outside. He sunk all four of his free throw attempts, adding five boards, three steals, two assists and one blocked shot. He was the only Miami starter to finish the game with a positive plus-minus rating, at plus-2. Still, just two assists for the starter at point guard and 13 total assists for the entire team ranked as a season low for the Heat.

Fourth Star

Al Horford (ATL) 16.7

Horford, Atlanta's starting center opposite First Star Whiteside, did what he could to slow Miami's big man down (which wasn't much, really, come to think of it). He did have a pretty good night on its own merits. In 33:44, he shot eight-of-17 from the floor and made his only free throw try. He also collected a game-high seven offensive boards and a team-high 13 total rebounds, pitching in with two assists and a steal. His plus-11 rating ranked him tied for second on the team (with Kyle Korver).

It's still very early in the season but we are optimistic about how we are playing. There is still a lot of basketball to play. We feel good about the team we have. - Horford

Fifth Star

Paul Millsap (ATL) 13.9

Millsap, who played a team-high 35:34 for the Hawks at power forward, earned a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards last night. He shot four-for-12 overall, missing three three-point shots and making half of his eight free throw shot attempts. He also pitched in with three steals, three dimes, and a blocked shot, finishing with an even rating.

Five Star Standings

Hassan Whiteside - 20 (first star in a win is 10 points, first star in a loss, nine points, fifth star in a loss, one point)

Dwyane Wade - 19 (second star in a win is eight points, third star in a win is six points, third star in a loss is five points)

Chris Bosh - 13 (first star in a win plus fourth star in a loss)

Tyler Johnson - 6 (third star in a win)

Goran Dragic - 5 (third star in a loss)

Luol Deng - 2 (fifth star in a win)

Next up for the Heat, the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Target Center at 8PM Thursday night. In the meantime, you can read up on the Hawks at Peachtree Hoops. More on the Wolves can be found at Canis Hoopus. For everything on the Heat, keep it dialed in right here.