MIAMI _ Even amid the 1-2 start to this season, the concern was how much less the Miami Heat might be if it wasn't for Hassan Whiteside.
Tuesday night, the Heat found someone else, plural, when needed. Because 2-2 feels a lot better than 1-3 when a two-game trip against the Toronto Raptors at Oklahoma City Thunder follows.
Loading up with 3-pointers early and surviving Whiteside's foul trouble, the Heat pushed past the Sacramento Kings 108-96 in overtime at AmericanAirlines Arena.
With Whiteside limited to 14 points and 11 rebounds, pedestrian statistics in comparison to his first three games of the season, the Heat's backcourt picked up the slack, with Goran Dragic closing with 25 points, Dion Waiters 20 and Tyler Johnson 22.
After leading the Heat in scoring in each of their first three games, increasing his scoring total in each, including matching his career high of 27 points in Sunday's loss to the San Antonio Spurs, Whiteside this time was called for his third foul midway through the second period, his fourth early in the third and his fifth early in the fourth.
After leading the Heat in scoring in each of their first three games, increasing his scoring total in each, including matching his career high of 27 points in Sunday's loss to the San Antonio Spurs, Whiteside this time was called for his third foul midway through the second period, his fourth early in the third and his fifth early in the fourth.
The teams went to overtime tied at 91, with the score staying tied after Dragic opened the extra period with a 3-pointer and Gay countered with a three-point play.
From there, baskets from Justise Winslow and Tyler Johnson pushed the Heat to a 98-94 lead, with Johnson following with a 3-pointer for a 101-94 Heat lead.
Regulation ended when Waiters dribbled down most of the clock and was off with a jumper, and then Gay missed a 3-pointer at the fourth-quarter buzz.
Whiteside returned with 8:50 left in regulation and the Heat up 75-69. The sequence led to a Luke Babbitt 3-pointer that put the Heat up 78-69.
The return was brief, with Whiteside called for his fifth foul with 7:32 left in the fourth, leading to a return trip to the bench with the Heat's lead down to 78-71.
But when Udonis Haslem, who had filled in for Whiteside, was called for his fifth foul, Whiteside returned with 6:02 left in the fourth and the Heat's lead down to 80-76.
Whiteside then worked Cousins into a pair of fouls that left the Kings center with five, as well.
After pushing to a 12-point lead early in the third period, the Heat went into the fourth up 73-67, with Dragic and Waiters each with 18 points to that stage. The Kings mounted their third-period comeback with a lineup that featured Anthony Tolliver, Ben McLemore, Kosta Koufos, Garrett Tempe and Afflalo.
Whiteside was called for his fourth foul with 8:06 left in the third period, with Haslem again entering in his place, just as he did after Whiteside was called for his third foul midway through the second period.
The Heat took a 54-50 lead into the intermission, with Waiters with 16 points to that stage and Dragic 13. The Kings got 16 points in the first half from Gay, 15 from Cousins.
The Heat were able to thrive in transition early, with 16 fast-break points in the first half to none for the Kings, who were playing on the second night of a back-to-back, having lost Monday to the Atlanta Hawks.
The Heat shot 7 of 12 on 3-pointers in the first half to the Kings' 3 of 12.
With Whiteside called for his third foul with 5:42 to play in the second period, Haslem was summoned for his first action of the season, as the Heat attempted to contain Cousins.
The appearance made Haslem officially the longest-tenured player in the franchise's 29 seasons, with this Haslem's 14th season with the Heat.
That left Derrick Williams as the lone available player not to see action, with Josh McRoberts only available for a late inbounds pass due to his ongoing foot issue. The Heat remained without sidelined guards Josh Richardson and Wayne Ellington.
The Heat got an aggressive start from Waiters, who converted his first four shots and scored 11 points in the opening period, to take a 28-26 lead into the second quarter.
While the Heat went with the same starting lineup for the fourth time in as many games, the Kings moved to a small lineup that had Matt Barnes opening at power forward in place of Koufos.
The Heat not only again opened with Whiteside, Babbitt, Justise Winslow, Dragic and Waiters, but also stayed with the same rotation off the bench, with Tyler Johnson as sixth man, followed by James Johnson, Willie Reed and Rodney McGruder.
The Heat were playing an opponent completing a back-to-back set for the second time in as many games, having lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the same situation Sunday night.
The Heat's next home game will be Nov. 10 in the only visit of the season by the Chicago Bulls and Dwyane Wade.
