Five Stars: Heat 112, Pacers 108

Five Stars is a feature where we assign values to each player based on their performance in each game. Based largely on the GameScore metric, there is a small adjustment for plus-minus. Stars are awarded to each player, regardless of the team they suit up for. This article is for Miami’s 112-108 home opening victory against the Indiana Pacers.

First Star

Victor Oladipo (IND) 23.2

Oladipo, new to the Pacers from the Oklahoma City Thunder, started at shooting guard for the Pacers and played 36:53 in total. He scored a game-high 28 points on 10-of-22 shooting, making all four of his foul shots and four-of-seven from outside. He also pitched in with five assists, four steals, four rebounds, and a blocked shot. He closed the game with an even plus-minus rating.

Second Star

Goran Dragic (MIA) 18.5

Starting at point guard for the Heat, Dragic was solid from the field, making nine-of-13 shots, including both of his three pointers and all three of his free throw attempts (see below for a nifty behind-the-back layup). Dragic led the Heat with 23 points in 32:09, chipping in five boards, three assists, and a minus-1 rating for the game.

Third Star

James Johnson (MIA) 18.1

Johnson, in a rare start at power forward for Miami, repeated his eight assist performance from the season opener, and also rejected five shots. In 29:44, he scored 14 points with four rebounds and a plus-3 rating. He was only one-of-five from outside, but otherwise went four-of-five from the field, including the poster dunk below. He was three-for-five from the stripe.

Fourth Star

Domantas Sabonis (IND) 17.3

Sabonis, Indiana’s 6’11” center, started and played 30:22. He racked up a double-double, scoring 18 points with 12 rebounds. Sabonis drained six-of-10 shots from the field, missed his only three pointer, and made six-of-eight free throws on the night. He also had two assists, a steal, a block, and a plus-2 rating.

Fifth Star

Kelly Olynyk (MIA) 12.8

Olynyk launches his opening salvo into the Five Stars, coming off the bench for 27:18. He scored 13 points and narrowly missed a double-double with nine rebounds. Kelly made half of his 10 shots overall, making three-of-five from deep while not getting a single trip to the line. He had four assists, two steals, and a blocked shot.

Honorable Mention

Jordan Mickey (MIA) 7.3

Mickey only played 13-and-a-half minutes in total, but made four-of-five shots for eight points, along with six boards.

Five Stars Standings

Hassan Whiteside 9
Goran Dragic 8
James Johnson 6
Kelly Olynyk 2

Check out Indy Cornrows for more on the Pacers.

Next up for the Heat, the Atlanta Hawks come to town for a showdown on Monday night.