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Heat’s Kel’el Ware pulls off historic feat vs. Knicks
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- Heat’s Kel’el Ware pulls off historic feat vs. Knicks
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The Miami Heat didn't get the result they wanted Sunday, falling 132–125 to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, but Kel'el Ware still gave fans a performance for the ages.
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The 21-year-old had the best scoring night of his career, pouring 28 points and 19 boards while shooting 11-of-15 overall and 5-of-7 from three-point range. A postgame stat tweak took away one rebound, but Ware still made history as the first Heat player with 28 points, 19 rebounds, and five threes in a single game. League-wide, only eight players have ever reached those thresholds in one game, and no player has accomplished it more than once.
Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns was the most recent player to reach those numbers, which made Ware's pulling it off against him all the more remarkable. Ware's performance came during a three-game stretch in which he averaged 24.7 points and 15.0 rebounds while going 11-for-14 from beyond the arc.
Ware is averaging 12.5 points and 10.7 rebounds per game on 66.1 percent true shooting over 29 games this season. He leads the Heat with 12 double-doubles, ranking 12th in the NBA in that category, after recording 15 double-doubles in 64 games during his rookie season. He has now posted three straight games with at least 20 points and 12 rebounds.
His shooting growth has been especially notable. Ware is connecting on 45.6 percent of his three-point attempts this season, the best among all eligible NBA centers. Against New York, he consistently stretched the floor while also impacting the game inside, scoring off putbacks and finishing as a lob threat. He had 14 points and nine rebounds by halftime and reached double figures in scoring early, helping Miami open the game shooting 6-of-8 from three.
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Ware's increased production has coincided with a larger role. After playing fewer than 30 minutes in each of the first eight games of the season, he has averaged 31 minutes per game in the last three contests and logged a season-high 35 minutes against the Knicks.
Ware was fantastic, but Miami's defense couldn't keep up. New York shot 20-of-38 from three, with Jalen Brunson scoring 47 points and Mikal Bridges chipping in 24. A Ware three-pointer and Jaquez Jr.'s free throws brought Miami to 120–118 late, but the comeback never materialized.
The Heat now returns home to Kaseya Center to face the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. EST.
Related: Erik Spoelstra's three-point request to Heat's Kel'el Ware amidst impressive stretch
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