In the absence of Hassan Whiteside, the Miami Heat (22-16) gave a strong effort against an historically good Golden State Warriors (36-2) team. The Heat never quite went away, always nipping at the defending champion’s heels, threatening to bite off a rare road win at Oracle Arena, where the Warriors have won 36 straight.
It was closely contested game in which the Heat’s perimeter defense was on fleek. Justise Winslow battled over screens, Goran Dragic and Dwyane Wade turned in eager performances and Chris Bosh darted back and forth in help defense to help limit the Warriors’ acclaimed 3-point shooting to just 30.