Hassan Whiteside's two-way dominance key in Miami Heat's win vs Bucks

With Dion Waiters out, Hassan Whiteside led the way as the Miami Heat dominated the Milwaukee Bucks and won its 12th consecutive game.

Welcome to the Hot Hand, where after every Miami Heat game win or loss we recognize the player who best put his stamp on the game.

Goran Dragic got the Miami Heat off and running, and Hassan Whiteside led the rest of the way for a short-handed team that was without one of their key contributors during this stretch in Dion Waiters.

Finishing the night with 23 points and 16 rebounds on 10-of-12 shooting, Whiteside toyed with John Henson from start to finish, holding the center to just 5 points in 25 minutes of play. To make matters worse for the Bucks, Jabari Parker would leave the game with 6:34 remaining in the third quarter with a sprained left knee, the same one that required extensive surgery two seasons ago.

A lackluster effort by Milwaukee, Whiteside finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds in the first half alone.

For Whiteside, it has been a season full of peaks and valleys, but tonight his offensive arsenal was on full display for all of the Bradley Center to see. Using an impressive array of spins, hooks and dunks, his contributions on the offensive end ultimately spurred the Heat to another victory, claiming a small personal milestone during the first quarter:

The paint has been Whiteside’s calling on the offensive side of the floor this season, and not too many players in the league have had an answer for his massive. bulky frame. Of course, playing in the Eastern Conference doesn’t hurt, either. Outside of the paint, Whiteside is shooting an anemic 38.2 percent rate, below the league average mark of 40 percent.

His shot chart for the year, however, is significantly better than his 55.7 percent rate from the floor suggests, and that was on full display last night.

The Heat are also significantly better on the offensive end with Whiteside on the floor:

Heat Scoring (Per 100 possessions)

Whiteside on court: 104.7

Whiteside off court: 100.1

Heat Field Goal percentage (Per 100 possessions)

Whiteside on court: 46.3

Whiteside off court: 43.2

There’s also no surprise that Miami shoots better from the three-point line with Whiteside on the floor, rising nearly four percentage points with him on the floor than off.

Overall, another impressive performance from the young center, and the Heat are currently on a roll.

Should they keep riding this wave of momentum and secure a playoff spot, especially after starting 11-30, it will arguably be the greatest single-season turnaround in sports history, and you can print that.

More from All U Can Heat

This article originally appeared on