Goran Dragic has been playing on an elevated level of late, and that’s because the Miami Heat needed him to. With a number of key players dealing with various injuries, the burden on Dragic’s shoulders has become heavier, especially during a recent three-game road trip that ended with a close 92-91 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center.
Explaining his recent resurgence, Goran Dragic obviously just knows when to pick up the slack and spearhead his team, per Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel.
“The last three games I have really been confident,” he said. “But sometimes, you know, when D-Wade is out, Hassan and J-Rich, I have to be aggressive, I need to make things happen.”
Against the Lakers, Dragic did most of the heavy lifting for Miami, scoring a game-high 30 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field, which includes him burying four three-pointers and making all of his six free throw attempts. He also scored the go-ahead basket late in the contest.
The Heat have been missing Dwyane Wade (hamstring) and Hassan Whiteside (hip) over their past few games, including the matchup with the Lakers, while Josh Richardson is far from 100 percent with a foot ailment. Richardson was 1-of-8 from the floor and finished with just four points against the Lakers.
Dragic is putting 17.6 points per game thus far this season, but performed much better during the recent road trip against the Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, and the Lakers during which he averaged 28.7 points on 55.4 field goal shooting percentage. He also shot 50 percent from behind the arc over that stretch.
The Heat brandish a 37-33 record and currently occupy the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
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