MIAMI _ It was the sort of shot which might have been nothing more than a desperation heave in any other situation. A deflected pass sent Duncan Robinson chasing down a loose ball more than 10 feet behind the three-point line and he stood for a moment to survey the Cleveland Cavaliers' defense. There were three seconds left on the shot clock. No one was coming out to defend him. The Miami Heat swingman decided to pull up 36 feet from the basket.
The jumper didn't even touch the rim. Robinson's franchise record-breaking eighth three-pointer of the half and seventh three of the quarter swished through the net to build the Heat's lead to 27 points with 30 seconds left in the second quarter Wednesday. The Heat was cruising toward another blowout win _ 124-100 _ at AmericanAirlines Arena and Robinson was the unlikely fuel, eliciting delirious reactions from the 19,600 in attendance every time one of his shots sailed through the air. He finished with a career-high 29 points on 9-of-15 shooting _ all from long range _ and Miami went 19 of 37 from deep.
The Heat (10-3) was already in control by the time Robinson went wild, but his historic second quarter propelled Miami to a blowout. In just five minutes, Robinson went 7 of 9 from the field and from three-point range. He scored 21 points and grabbed one rebound. Robinson, undrafted just a year ago, had the hot hand and his teammates did everything they could to feed him.
His first three of the period came in the opening minute of the quarter. The Heat's lead on the Cavaliers (4-10) was only 32-22 when Robinson spotted up from 31 feet at the top of the key and wing Tyler Herro found him with a pass from the left corner. He then hit a catch-and-shoot three from each wing and headed to the bench for a quick breather. With three minutes left, Robinson went nuclear.
He curled off a screen to hit one three near the top of the key and sunk a wide-open shot from the left corner. A possession later, Herro found him in the corner again and Robinson hit another. His final shot of the period was the most spectacular: a 36-footer with time left on the shot clock.
Even after the Heat went out and landed a star this offseason by trading for Jimmy Butler, the unlikely contributors _ most notably Robinson, and undrafted rookies Kendrick Nunn and Chris Silva _ have often been the drivers of Miami's best start since 2013. On Wednesday, the Heat got its most unlikely eruption yet.
