The HEAT held off a feisty Dallas Mavericks team with a 113-101 victory, thanks in part to a very hot shooting night from Wayne Ellington. Ellington dropped eight 3 point shots, to lead the HEAT with 28 points on a night where the HEAT were shorthanded due to injuries.
To make matters worse, the HEAT lost guard Dion Waiters in the first half due to a sprained ankle. Thankfully, Wayne Ellington was on fire the entire evening, splashing three-point shots from all over the court at some extremely difficult angles.
After the game, Erik Spoelstra raved about Ellington’s performance, even going further by saying the Wayne Ellington’s shooting workout is the best he had ever seen in 23 years with the HEAT. Much of what Spoelstra said could be considered hyperbole to spur his player onward, especially with the legendary workouts that former HEAT Ray Allen was known for. I had to find out for sure who had the better shooting workout, so I asked Wayne Ellington if his shooting workouts are as challenging as Ray Allen’s
Wayne’s answer, “Spo said it was.” This actually may be true since Spoelstra has had an opportunity to evaluate both players. If Ellington has indeed developed a workout in the same realm as what made Ray Allen into a Hall of Fame shooter, it could mean greater things down the line as the Miami HEAT get healthy.