Five Stars: Stung

Five Stars is a series where we use the GameScore metric to rate and rank every player in every Heat game, regardless of team affiliation. We’ll highlight the top five from each game throughout the season.

First Star

Kemba Walker (CHA) 19.9

Walker started at point guard for the Hornets, and scored a game-high 24 points on seven-of-18 shooting. He also drained two-of-five from deep and eight-of-nine from the foul line. In 31 minutes, he also had four assists, two steals, and one defensive rebound, closing his night with a minus-1 rating.

Second Star

Hassan Whiteside (MIA) 16.6

Whiteside led the Heat with 20 points and collected a game-high 15 rebounds, five of them offensive. In 26 minutes, he made eight-of-11 shots from the field and four-of-seven from the stripe, posting a minus-3 rating and blocking two shots. He missed a large portion of the second half due to foul trouble and medical treatment. He needed four stitches on his left elbow to continue play.

Third Side

Jeremy Lamb (CHA) 13.4

Lamb came off the bench for 22 minutes, and scored 16 points on seven-of-12 shooting. He took two three-pointers and two foul shots, missing both three’s and making both one’s. He pulled eight rebounds off the glass (two offensive), with one assist, one blocked shot, and a game-high tying plus-9 rating.

Fourth Star

Goran Dragic (MIA) 11.6

Dragic started at point guard for the Heat, and made three-of-four from outside. Unfortunately, he also went one-of-seven from two-point distance and finished with just 14 points. He made all three of his free throws, with a game-high nine assists, four rebounds, and a steal. Along with Luke Babbitt, he was the only Heat player to finish with a positive plus-minus rating, at plus-4.

Fifth Star

Marvin Williams (CHA) 10.7

Williams, starting at power forward for Charlotte, led Buzz City with 33 minutes on the floor and with 11 rebounds. He made three-of-six shots overall and one-of-two from outside to score just seven points, with two steals, an assist, a block, and a plus-4 rating.

Notable

The Heat shot just 12-for-34 through the second half, allowing the Hornets to go on a 48-19 run.

Season Standings

Hassan Whiteside 13
Tyler Johnson 8
Goran Dragic 3
Justise Winslow 2

Friday’s Worst

James Johnson (MIA) -3.8

In 23 minutes, Johnson missed all six of his shots from the field, including three from three-point distance. He did grab six rebounds, but turned the ball over twice with two personal fouls and a minus-11 rating.

The Heat will stay in town to host the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night.