Whiteside Tallies 25 Rebounds in Heat Win

Hassan Whiteside tackled rebounds instead of players to help the Miami Heat beat the Los Angeles Lakers 100-94 on Wednesday.

A game after Whiteside was ejected for trying to tackle Alex Len of the Phoenix Suns, Whiteside set a new career-high with 25 rebounds in this one. Whiteside avoided a suspension for his actions and made the most of the opportunity with his play in this game.

Along the way, Whiteside was on the receiving end of an alley-oop play started by Dwyane Wade. A thunderous dunk by the young center drew roars from the crowd and set the tone in the game.

In addition to his 25 boards, Whiteside also contributed 18 points and blocked four shots. The 25-year old was all over the court on both offense and defense. In his 33 minutes, Whiteside led his team to the win in dominant fashion.

Wade had a great game as well with 25 points and six assists. The All-Star had 12 free-throw attempts and made 11 of them. Those become critical with the game tight down the final stretch.

Goran Dragic also played well even while not being 100%. Dragic is battling a back injury but gave Miami 36 strong minutes. The point guard scored 21 points and had six assists of his own. Dragic also had three steals and a blocked shot.

The win which was Miami's second in a row keeps it a half-game up on eighth place Charlotte in the Eastern Conference.