Inside The Heat

Caleb Martin Delivers For Miami Heat Despite Illness

Martin had 20 points and a key defensive stop late in victory against Wizards

Shandel Richardson

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At one point Friday, Miami Heat forward Caleb Martin was listed as doubtful on the injury report. 

By tip-off, he was in the starting lineup against the Washington Wizards. Martin staved off a non-Covid illness to help the Heat win their second consecutive game. 

He finished with 20 points on 7 of 11 shooting in 38 minutes. 

"I just think that typically I always try to play unless it's like an injury that won't allow me to go or it will get worse as I play," Martin said. "When I woke up this morning, I thought for sure I wasn't playing. I just told them to wait to make a decision as the day went on. When I got here, I was going to play by ear and I felt like I could go." 

Martin had perhaps his most impressive moment on the final play. After making two free throws to put the Heat ahead three, he was tasked with the challenge of defending Wizards star Bradley Beal. 

Martin forced Beal into an off-balanced shot from the wing that wasn't close. 

"I didn't really think about fouling," Martin said. "I take pride in trying to get stops. As a defender, those are the type of matchups and situations that you dream about, game on the line, you go against Bradley Beal with the ball, late in the shot-clock." 

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here

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