Dragic Leads Heat To 11th Straight Win, 115-113 Over Wolves
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MINNEAPOLIS (CBSMiami/AP) — Don't try to touch the Miami Heat, you may get burned.
Goran Dragic scored 33 points and hit a career-high seven 3-pointers to lead the Heat to their 11th straight victory, 115-113 over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night.
Hassan Whiteside had 19 points and 13 rebounds, and the Heat shot 53.6 percent (15 for 28) from 3-point range. Miami made 10 more 3s than Minnesota and held on late after a furious comeback attempt by the Wolves.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 35 points and eight rebounds for the Timberwolves, who have lost four straight games. Andrew Wiggins added 27 points, but missed two shots with chances to win the game in the final 8.5 seconds.
The Heat led by as many as 14 points — the ninth straight game they have led by double digits — and now own the second-longest winning streak in the NBA this season. Golden State won 12 in a row in November.
Miami carved up the Wolves' defense for most of the night, scored 48 points in the paint and made them pay for all the open looks from beyond the arc. Rodney McGruder went 3 of 4 from deep.
Dragic hit eight of his first nine shots and his first seven 3-pointers, including one that banked in just before halftime for a 14-point lead.
After a listless start, Wiggins scored 13 points in the third quarter to cut the deficit to five points and Dragic finally missed a 3 early in the fourth to give the Wolves a glimmer of hope.
They trailed by four with 35 seconds to play, but Wiggins got a steal and converted a three-point play. He stole the ball a second straight time, but missed what would have been the go-ahead jumper with 8.5 seconds left.
Whiteside made one free throw on the other end, and Wiggins missed a contested fallaway from the baseline as time expired.
TIP-INS
Heat: Dragic has made at least one 3-pointer in 15 straight games, the longest streak of his career. ... Miami scored 40 points in the first quarter. ... McGruder had 15 points, five rebounds and four assists. .... James Johnson scored 11 points off the bench, including a huge corner 3 with 3:40 to go.
Timberwolves: PG Kris Dunn missed his third straight game with a bruised right hand. ... Ricky Rubio had 14 points and 13 assists. ... Gorgui Dieng had 13 points and seven rebounds.
PUTTING THE 'D' IN DION
Heat guard Dion Waiters didn't have quite the offensive game he has been having during the streak. He scored 12 points on 4-for-13 shooting in 33 minutes. But he delivered one of the highlights of the game on the other end when he ran down Shabazz Muhammad in transition and emphatically swatted a layup attempt.
UP NEXT
Heat: Miami stays on the road for the second of a four-game trip that continues in Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Timberwolves: Minnesota stays home to host Toronto on Wednesday, the third game of a six-game homestand.
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