Whiteside's historic night leads Heat to 10th straight win
The NBA currently has no answer for the streaking Miami Heat, and the Philadelphia 76ers had none for Hassan Whiteside on Saturday.
Miami's star big man poured in a ludicrous 30 points and 20 rebounds (on 14-of-17 shooting) in only 26:47 of action, marking the Heat franchise's first 30-20 game since Brian Grant achieved the feat on Nov. 8, 2000.
Even more impressive, Whiteside is the first player since Bill Laimbeer in 1985 to record at least 30 points and 20 rebounds in less than 27 minutes of playing time.
It was the eighth 30-20 game in Heat history, with Whiteside joining Grant, Alonzo Mourning, and Rony Seikaly as the only players to post such robust scoring and rebounding numbers in a Miami uniform.
Whiteside also becomes just the 15th active player to manage a 30-20 game in his career. Sacramento Kings All-Star DeMarcus Cousins is the only other player to post a 30-20 game this season (Nov. 28 versus the Wizards).
Lost in Whiteside's historic performance was the fact the Heat's 125-102 destruction of the Sixers marked the team's 10th consecutive victory after an 11-30 start, giving Miami the longest winning streak by a losing team since the 1996-97 Phoenix Suns won 11 straight.
| Losers to win 10 straight | Record when streak began | Streak | Final record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977-78 Jazz | 16-24 | W10 | 39-43 |
| 1996-97 Suns | 27-39 | W11 | 40-42 |
| 2016-17 Heat | 11-30 | W10 | ? |
The improbable run moves the 12th-place Heat within two games of eighth-place Charlotte for the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot - this after Miami sat 9 1/2 games back of eighth entering its Jan. 17 game against Houston, when the streak began.