The Miami Heat finished their road trip with a 90-81 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.
The game was the first part of a home-and-home series between the teams and it improved Miami's record to 5-10 on the season. The Heat are now 3-5 in road games this year after losing two straight coming into this one.
Miami jumped out to a quick nine-point lead after only one quarter of play. Memphis would cut into that advantage slightly going into the half, but the Heat would extend the lead once more in the third quarter. The fourth and final quarter featured some tighter play, and Miami was able to secure the much-needed victory.
Hassan Whiteside struggled for a second straight game and is currently taking part in the first slump of his season. Whiteside had reached double-doubles in nearly every game before now failing to accomplish the feat in back-to-back games. The center ended up with only four points to go along with 12 rebounds in the win.
Tyler Johnson was big off the bench once again with 18 points, four rebounds and two steals in his 21 minutes. With Josh Richardson struggling for the most part this season, Johnson remains in the mix for a starting gig. In this one, Richardson was decent with 12 points and four assists in 27 minutes.
On Saturday, Miami will host Memphis at the American Airlines Arena.
