Kel’el Ware made the most of his limited playing time in the Miami Heat’s 116-113 road win over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night. The former 15th overall pick had 12 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two blocks on 4-for-6 shooting from the field in just 12 minutes of action.
Ware did most of his damage from the three-point line by going 3-for-4 there. After playing just seven minutes against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, the Miami Heat center did just enough yesterday to draw plaudits from head coach Erik Spoelstra.
“Kel’el gave us some good minutes tonight. I’m managing both of these young promising bigs (Ware and Jovic), and we’re managing that 2nd unit, which is playing well. We’re at a point where we need everybody contributing,” Spoelstra told the Miami Herald.
It was a balanced effort for the Miami Heat, as seven of their players scored double-digits. Norman Powell led the way with 21 points on 7-for-16 shooting from the field, while Bam Adebayo, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Pelle Larsson, Dru Smith, and Andrew Wiggins added 20, 19, 15, 11, and 10 points.
Miami Heat News: Kel’el Ware reacts to Erik Spoelstra’s praise of him vs. Chicago Bulls
Kel’el Ware has been in Erik Spoelstra’s dog house, but it hasn’t stopped him from contributing to the team. During his postgame interview, the Miami Heat youngster said he is just making the most of the opportunities afforded to him.
“Just doing what I can, whatever minutes I get — try to go out there and impact the game and make them positive minutes,” Ware said. “If I was able to impact the game, so yeah, that’s how I look at my stats.”
The Miami Heat will face the Chicago Bulls two more times this weekend as part of their three-game homestand before they host the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday.
