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UNC Alumni in the NBA: Wayne Ellington leads Heat to victory

By Blake Cockrum

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 27: Wayne Ellington #2 of the Miami Heat celebrates his shot in the third quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on January 27, 2019 in New York City.NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 27: Wayne Ellington #2 of the Miami Heat celebrates his shot in the third quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on January 27, 2019 in New York City.NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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Ellington leads the way for Heat with team-high 19 points

Miami Heat shooting guard Wayne Ellington looked like the 2017-18 version of himself on Sunday night. The 10-year veteran out of North Carolina scored a team-high 19 points for Miami, leading the Heat to a 106-97 road victory over the New York Knicks.

The former Tar Heel went scoreless in the first half before scoring all 19 of his points in the final two quarters. He hit 6-of-13 shots on the night, and went 4-for-11 from three-point range. He knocked down all three of his free throw attempts, and didn’t turn the ball over a single time in 31 minutes of play.

It was Ellington’s best game over the past two months, and highest scoring output since a 19-point performance against the Los Angeles Lakers on November 18th. Ellington’s season-high came just 11 days prior to that game, when the Heat welcomed the San Antonio Spurs to town. He scored 20 points, and hit a season-high six three-pointers that night.

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He’s since been basically forgotten about in Miami, falling out of the starting rotation and sitting on the bench the majority of the past two months. He’s been an active scratch in 12 of the Heat’s past 14 games, and played double-digit minutes just four times since the start of December.

Perhaps after his big performance at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night– and the potentially serious knee injury sustained by Derrick Jones, Jr. — the veteran sharpshooter will be able to get a few more minutes in Miami’s upcoming games.

Ellington has appeared in just 22 of the team’s 48 games this season, and been a starter on 10 occasions. He’s averaging 7.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game on the season.

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