Guard Klay Thompson (11) takes a lay up to the hoop for the Golden State Warriors against the Miami Heat’s guard Patty Mills (88) at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Tue Mar 26, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors (37-34) got a much-needed win Tuesday night, beating the Miami Heat (39-33) 113-92. The Warriors’ head coach, Steve Kerr, inserted Klay Thompson back into the Warriors’ starting lineup.

Thompson had played well coming off the bench. Kerr knew the Heat had several key players unavailable for Tuesday’s game. Jimmy Butler was out with an illness. The Heat’s best three-point shooter, Duncan Robinson, could not play due to a back problem. Tyler Herro and Kevin Love were sidelined due to foot injuries.

The Heat used a full-court press to slow down the Warrior’s offense. Rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis did not play as he was not feeling well. Kerr had Kevon Looney replace Trayce in the second unit. Looney tallied seven points and pulled six rebounds in 18 minutes of playing time.

The Warriors knew the keys to the game were playing well on defense, not committing fouls, and not turning the ball over. The Warriors accomplished all three tasks.

The Warriors had an early eight-point lead in the first quarter, 20-12. The Heat’s Bam Abedayo made three consecutive two-point buckets to make it 20-18. The Heat finished the quarter leading 26-24. Each team scored 29 points in the second quarter.

Abedayo and Haywood Highsmith paced the Heat’s offense. Each player tallied 13 points in the first half. Klay Thompson, with 15, was the only Warrior in double figures in the first half. Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins each had seven. Jonathan Kuminga added eight. The Warriors trailed by two, 55-53, after two periods of play.

The Warriors came to play in the second half. Golden State won the third quarter 32-20. Thompson, Wiggins, and Curry were the players who took the Warriors to a ten-point lead, 95-85, at the end of the third quarter. Kuminga added to the Warriors’ offense in the fourth quarter.

Kuminga went high over the rim to score a basket after a three-point shot bounced high. The Warrior bench could not believe Kuminga’s athleticism on the play. The Warriors outscored the Heat 28-17 in the fourth quarter to win 113-92. 

Game Notes: With the win, the Warriors are 37-34. The Heat fell to 39-33.

As a team, The Warriors shot 55% from the floor. The Warriors made 13 threes in 38 tries. The Heat was eight for thirty-three from downtown. The Warriors’ defense held the Heat to 41% from the floor. The Warriors had six steals and five blocks.

Golden State committed ten turnovers, and the Heat only made ten of 13 free throws. The defense held the Heat to 37 points in the second half. Kerr’s game plan worked to perfection. 

The Warriors won their 19th road game and avoided a fourth-quarter collapse. They had lost eleven times after leading by ten or more points after the third quarter.

Thompson led the Warriors with 28 points, connecting on six threes. Kuminga had 18 points and seven rebounds. Wiggins had 17 points and seven boards, and Curry also had 17 points and six assists.

The Heat had six players in double figures: Abedayo had 24, Terry Rozier and Haywood Highsmith had 15, Nikola Jovic had 11, Jaime Kaquez had 12, and Caleb Martin had 10.

The Warriors play again Wednesday night in Orlando. The Magic lead the Southeast Division with a record of 42-29. The Warriors need to be at their best to get a win. The game will start at 4 pm.