The Miami Heat rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 120-98 Tuesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. The victory snapped the Heat's three-game losing streak. The Heat, playing without the injured Dwyane Wade, used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take control. Wade was out with a sprained ankle.
Forward LeBron James led all scorers with 33 points, 10 assists and five rebounds. Chris Bosh added 30 points, eight rebounds and five assists while swingman Mike Miller finished with a season-high 18 points, all coming on 3-pointers. It was Miller's first game back since undergoing offseason hernia surgery.
The Heat shot 75 percent in the decisive third quarter. Guard Tony Parker led the Spurs with 18 points. It was the third straight blowout in a game involving these two teams. They traded 30-point victories last season, with each team winning on its home floor.
QUOTABLE: "We have a great luxury with three players who can do special things when you need it. No question about it, LeBron and Chris were brilliant offensively tonight and shouldered a big load there. But I told the guys that make no mistake about it, the commitment, the activity on the defensive side of the floor in the second half was about as good as we can be."
- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra
THE STAT: The Heat made a season-high 16 3-pointers, including six in the decisive third quarter. They finished 16 of 26 from the arc.
TURNING POINT: After trailing by 14 at halftime, the Heat outscored the Spurs 39-12 in the third quarter. The Heat scored 17 straight at one point. Miami made 15-of-20 fields while the Spurs were held to 21 percent shooting.
QUOTABLE II: "LeBron James was great," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He waited for the third quarter to come out and he went wild. That certainly helped them kick our butts. More than that in the second half, I thought they got really physical and I felt we folded."
HOT: James finished with 33 points on 12-of-21 shooting, including 4-of-6 on 3-pointers. He scored 17 in the third quarter. James also had 10 assists and five rebounds.
NOT: The Spurs shot just 4-of-19 in the third quarter, hitting 1-of-7 from 3-point range. They finished the quarter with as many turnovers as field goals and scored only 12 points.
GOOD MOVE: Spoelstra was cautious with Miller, but it was valuable to get him back in the offensive flow. His return gives the Heat another scoring threat, and a game as such will help him recover from missing the first 12 games of the season.
BAD MOVE: The Spurs had no answer when the Heat upped their defensive pressure in the third quarter. It led to several poor shots, with many coming late in the shot clock. The Spurs, known for their offensive rhythm, had a rare quarter of out of sync basketball.
NOTABLE: Heat swingman Miller was active for the first time since undergoing preseason hernia surgery. The Heat were without center Dexter Pittman, who was experiencing flu-like symptoms. James was just 3-of-10 on 3-pointers before Tuesday. The Heat are 4-0 without Wade this season. The Spurs have yet to win on the road this season.http://www.nba.com/video/games/heat/2012/01/17/0021100197_sas_mia_recap.nba
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Spurs-Heat
The upcoming schedule this week was already going to be a challenge for the Miami Heat.
Playing it without injured star guard Dwyane Wade would make it significantly tougher.
With Wade out for at least this game, the struggling Heat open a five-game homestand Tuesday night against the San Antonio Spurs, who are again trying to carry their home success to the road.
Wade has already missed three games due to a previous foot injury and is averaging just 19.6 points - well off his 2010-11 pace of 25.5 per game. That was before he sprained his right ankle in the fourth quarter of Friday's 117-104 loss at Denver, Miami's third consecutive defeat to close a five-game trip.
Wade did not practice with the Heat (8-4) on Sunday, and while coach Erik Spoelstra ruled him out for this game Tuesday morning and did not offer a timetable for Wade's return, forward Chris Bosh would prefer his teammate take his time to get back to 100 percent.
"He needs to get healthy," said Bosh of Wade, who turns 30 on Tuesday. "That's the most important thing. He's been pushing it. He's been giving us everything he has. And unfortunately in the last game, he turned his ankle. But sometimes things happen. He probably needed to sit down and rest in the first place.
"He needs to just chill out right now, get better and we'll hold it down until he can come back," Bosh added.
Bosh is averaging 19.2 points overall, but has scored 16.3 per game on 41.7 percent shooting his last four contests. That has left LeBron James shouldering the offensive burden - something he has done by averaging 29.0 points in those four games - but it has not gotten the Heat back to winning.
Things likely won't get much easier with the Los Angeles Lakers and Atlantic Division-leading Philadelphia visiting after the Spurs.
"I've got to step it up even more offensively and defensively," James said. "Revert back to some of the ways back in Cleveland, when I knew I for the most part had to be the No. 1 option offensively."
Even without injured guard Manu Ginobili, San Antonio (9-4) has always found enough offense at home. On Sunday night, Tim Duncan picked up the slack with a season-high 24 points and 11 rebounds in 31 efficient minutes during a 102-91 victory over Phoenix as the Spurs improved to 9-0 at home.
For Duncan, the offseason work on his jumper paid dividends as he made 10 of 14 from the field.
"Especially this summer, I worked on it a lot trying to extend my range a little bit," said Duncan, who is shooting a career-low 47.3 percent. "Be a little more consistent. It's been up and down so far but great tonight."
Defensively, the Spurs appear to have found a groove. They've limited opponents to 89.7 points per game and 41.7 percent shooting during their three-game winning streak after yielding an average of 110.3 points on 53.1 percent shooting in the previous three, a 1-2 stretch.
"It's been up and down. We're not at the consistency where we need to be at," Duncan admitted. "All in all we're getting there. It's a work in progress. We know it's a long season. We use the season to get where we want to be. But defensively we have to be a lot better."
That's certainly true on the road, where the Spurs have gone 0-4 and allowed 106.3 points per game on 52.5 percent shooting. San Antonio has allowed each opponent to shoot 50.6 percent or better and score at least 105 points.
The home team won by 30 in each meeting between these teams last season, with the Heat's 110-80 victory ending San Antonio's three-game win streak in Miami.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Howard leads all players in first All-Star Ballot returns
Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic and LeBron James of the Miami Heat top the Eastern Conference, while Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder lead the Western Conference after the first returns of 2012 NBA All-Star Balloting presented by Sprint. Howard, the Kia Defensive Player of the Year each of the past three seasons, is the overall leader with 754,737 votes.
Howard paces centers in the East, followed by the Chicago Bulls' Joakim Noah (75,038). James leads Eastern Conference forwards with 640,789 votes, followed by Carmelo Anthony (496,351) of the New York Knicks. Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls leads Eastern Conference guards with 640,476 votes, followed by Miami's Dwyane Wade (637,912).
Bryant's 690,613 votes leads Western Conference guards, with the Los Angeles Clippers' Chris Paul placing second (540,173). Durant's 633,538 votes lead forwards in the West, with Blake Griffin of the Clippers next in line with 394,264 votes. The Lakers' Andrew Bynum paces Western Conference centers with 496,597 votes, followed by the Clippers' DeAndre Jordan (134,961).
2012 NBA All-Star Balloting presented by Sprint gives fans around the world the opportunity to vote daily for their favorite players as starters for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game. There are several ways fans can cast their votes as part of this season's all-digital program, including in 16 languages on NBA.com or by visiting m.NBA.com on any wireless carrier. Fans also can vote through mobile phones by texting the player's last name to 6-9-6-2-2 ("MYNBA") in the U.S. and to 3-8-6-5-7 ("DUNKS") in Canada. Sprint customers in the U.S. can also access the ballot and vote through the new "Sprint NBA Mobile" application, the most comprehensive app in the marketplace for NBA fans.
2012 NBA All-Star Balloting presented by Sprint also includes expanded SMS voting. Fans can now vote for 10 different players per day, per phone number, via SMS voting by sending 10 separate SMS messages, each one with a different player's last name. Fans can vote for All-Stars via SMS at any time by texting from their mobile phones. Message and data rates may apply. Previously, fans could cast one SMS vote for one player per day.
Fans can vote directly on NBA.com or use their Facebook profile information to help create an NBA.com All-Access account, which enables them to complete a ballot. After submitting their All-Star selections, fans will have the ability to share them with their friends on Facebook and followers on Twitter, and encourage others to cast their ballots.
Updated results for the Eastern and Western Conferences will be issued on Thursday, Jan. 19. Wireless and SMS balloting, as well as voting on NBA.com, will conclude on Jan. 31. Starters will be announced live on TNT on Feb. 2, during a special one-hour pregame show at 7 p.m. ET featuring Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith. The special will air prior to TNT's exclusive doubleheader featuring the Chicago Bulls at the New York Knicks (8 p.m. ET) and the Denver Nuggets at the Los Angeles Clippers (10:30 p.m. ET). There will also be a special one-hour pregrame show on TNT on Feb. 9 to announce the All-Star reserves.
The NBA All-Star ballot lists 120 players -- 60 each from the Eastern and Western conferences -- with 24 guards, 24 forwards, and 12 centers from each conference comprising the list. Voters select two guards, two forwards and one center from each conference. The 120 players on the ballot were selected by a panel of media who regularly cover the NBA: Bill Simmons (Grantland), Sekou Smith (NBA.com), Doug Smith (Toronto Star/PBWA), and Ian Thomsen (Sports Illustrated).
NBA All-Star 2012 in Orlando will bring together some of the most talented and passionate players in the league's history for a global celebration of the game. TNT will televise the All-Star Game for a 10th consecutive year, marking Turner Sports' 28th year of All-Star coverage. NBA All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm will feature the Haier Shooting Stars, Taco Bell Skills Challenge, Foot Locker Three-Point Contest, and Sprite Slam Dunk. Other events at NBA All-Star 2012 will include the NBA Rising Stars Challenge, Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, and NBA All-Star Jam Session. Orlando also hosted NBA All-Star in 1992.
The leaders of both the Eastern and Western Conference players for the first returns of 2012 NBA All-Star Balloting presented by Sprint are below:
All-Star Balloting Presented By Sprint | Eastern Conference
Forwards: LeBron James (Mia) 640,789; Carmelo Anthony (NYK) 496,351; Amar'e Stoudemire (NYK) 178,797; Kevin Garnett (Bos) 173,161; Chris Bosh (Mia) 140,601; Paul Pierce (Bos) 94,071; Luol Deng (Chi) 85,086; Andrea Bargnani (Tor) 54,739; Carlos Boozer (Chi) 53,477; Hedo Turkoglu (Orl) 43,154. Guards: Derrick Rose (Chi) 640,476; Dwyane Wade (Mia) 637,912; Rajon Rondo (Bos) 253,969; Ray Allen (Bos) 174,934; Deron Williams (NJN) 89,128; Jose Calderon (Tor) 42,929; John Wall (Was) 38,025; Richard Hamilton (Chi) 36,418; Kyrie Irving (Cle) 27,713; Joe Johnson (Atl) 23,384.
Centers: Dwight Howard (Orl) 754,737; Joakim Noah (Chi) 75,038; Tyson Chandler (NYK) 61,774; Joel Anthony (Mia) 41,832; JaVale McGee (Was) 24,713; Al Horford (Atl) 23,546.
All-Star Balloting Presented By Sprint | Western Conference
Forwards: Kevin Durant (OKC) 633,538; Blake Griffin (LAC) 394,264; Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) 231,832; Pau Gasol (LAL) 185,428; Kevin Love (Min) 143,814; LaMarcus Aldridge (Por) 118,268; Tim Duncan (SA) 81,783; Lamar Odom (Dal) 59,686; Metta World Peace (LAL) 39,006; Danilo Gallinari (Den) 34,438.Guards: Kobe Bryant (LAL) 690,613; Chris Paul (LAC) 540,173; Ricky Rubio (Min) 133,520; Steve Nash (Pho) 118,922; Russell Westbrook (OKC) 107,197; Kyle Lowry (Hou) 90,725; Monta Ellis (GS) 63,696; Manu Ginobili (SA) 50,765; Jason Kidd (Dal) 49,596; Chauncey Billups (LAC) 42,657.
Centers: Andrew Bynum (LAL) 496,597; DeAndre Jordan (LAC) 134,961; Marc Gasol (Mem) 102,116; Nenê (Den) 94,167; Marcin Gortat (Pho) 62,631; Kendrick Perkins (OKC) 41,579.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
NEW ORLEANS -- Playing their fifth game in six days, the Oklahoma City Thunder looked tired early against New Orleans.That didn't stop Kevin Durant from taking over.Durant had 29 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks, and the Thunder beat the Hornets 95-85 on Wednesday night to finish their brutal stretch 5-0.
Durant hit 11 of his last 14 shots after missing his first three. He took over in the third quarter, scoring 11 points in the first eight minutes as the Thunder extended a two-point halftime lead to 12 points. The Hornets pulled within four early in the fourth, but never threatened after that.
"It feels good to get five wins, man," Durant said. "We've got to look forward to keep pushing, keep building on it and hopefully do a good job next game. It's very encouraging that we can get through something like this."
Russell Westbrook had 22 points and seven assists, and James Harden added 14 points for Oklahoma City, which won its fifth in a row and is tied with the Bulls for the best record in the NBA at 10-2.
"No Basketball!" was written on a white board in the Thunder locker room next to Thursday's agenda, and none of the players figure to break that command.
"The schedule is like that for everybody," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "Everybody is going to have to embrace that challenge because it is going to be a challenge."
Chris Kaman and Carl Landry had 17 points for New Orleans, which lost for the seventh time in eight games. The Hornets outscored the Thunder 42-32 in the paint but connected on only 1 of 16 3-pointers, missing their last 12.
Durant almost singlehandedly led Oklahoma to a big lead in the third quarter. After knocking down a midrange jumper, he scored on a layup, a free throw and a pair of 3-pointers. On the second 3, he was wide open at the top of the key and buried the shot off a pass from Westbrook, giving the Thunder a 69-57 lead and forcing the Hornets to call a timeout.
"Kevin really was good tonight," Brooks said. "He made some tough shots, and he made some good shots. He made some big plays for us and he rebounded the basketball."
Durant also was a factor defensively during the decisive spurt. After leaving his feet when the Hornets Al-Farouq Aminu faked a 3, he recovered and blocked Aminu's leaner from behind, forcing a jump ball. He controlled the tip, leading to a basket by Serge Ibaka.
After losing fourth quarter leads in its last two home games against Philadelphia and Denver, New Orleans scored only 15 points in the fourth Wednesday. Greivis Vasquez missed a 3 that would have cut the deficit to one, and Oklahoma City's Daequan Cook sank a 3 to make the score 79-72.
With the Hornets trailing by six, Landry traveled on one possession. A little later, he had a layup roll off the rim.
Durant sealed the victory with baskets when the Hornets got within six later in the fourth.
While Durant struggled early, Emeka Okafar made his first three shots as the Thunder stumbled through the early minutes. Westbrook turned the ball over on a rare 5-seconds call while dribbling aimlessly on the perimeter, then got stuffed by Kaman on a drive to the basket, fell to the floor and had the ball go out of bounds off him.
The Hornets scored the first eight points. They led by 10 twice, 17-7 and 19-9 before the Thunder woke up.
"We showed that we can come out and jump on teams early, but we also showed we have difficulty sustaining it for 48 minutes," said Hornets guard Jarrett Jack, who had eight points and eight assists. "It's frustrating."
Durant hit his last five shots of the first half, including a 3-pointer for Oklahoma City's first basket more than three minutes into the game.
Westbrook had 15 of his 22 points in the second half.
"We've been together for a while and we know games like this count when it's time for playoff seeding and we need to come in and get games like this," he said. "Fifth game in six nights, whatever it is, we've got to be ready to play."
Game notes
The game was played with two officials after David Guthrie left with 8:25 remaining in the second quarter. The Hornets said Guthrie said he heard something pop in a knee. ... The loudest cheer of the night came when the Hornets P.A. announcer saluted New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram and defensive end Cameron Jordan, who were watching from the front row. ... The Hornets have yet to score 100 points in a game.
Durant hit 11 of his last 14 shots after missing his first three. He took over in the third quarter, scoring 11 points in the first eight minutes as the Thunder extended a two-point halftime lead to 12 points. The Hornets pulled within four early in the fourth, but never threatened after that.
"It feels good to get five wins, man," Durant said. "We've got to look forward to keep pushing, keep building on it and hopefully do a good job next game. It's very encouraging that we can get through something like this."
Russell Westbrook had 22 points and seven assists, and James Harden added 14 points for Oklahoma City, which won its fifth in a row and is tied with the Bulls for the best record in the NBA at 10-2.
"No Basketball!" was written on a white board in the Thunder locker room next to Thursday's agenda, and none of the players figure to break that command.
"The schedule is like that for everybody," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "Everybody is going to have to embrace that challenge because it is going to be a challenge."
Chris Kaman and Carl Landry had 17 points for New Orleans, which lost for the seventh time in eight games. The Hornets outscored the Thunder 42-32 in the paint but connected on only 1 of 16 3-pointers, missing their last 12.
Durant almost singlehandedly led Oklahoma to a big lead in the third quarter. After knocking down a midrange jumper, he scored on a layup, a free throw and a pair of 3-pointers. On the second 3, he was wide open at the top of the key and buried the shot off a pass from Westbrook, giving the Thunder a 69-57 lead and forcing the Hornets to call a timeout.
"Kevin really was good tonight," Brooks said. "He made some tough shots, and he made some good shots. He made some big plays for us and he rebounded the basketball."
Durant also was a factor defensively during the decisive spurt. After leaving his feet when the Hornets Al-Farouq Aminu faked a 3, he recovered and blocked Aminu's leaner from behind, forcing a jump ball. He controlled the tip, leading to a basket by Serge Ibaka.
After losing fourth quarter leads in its last two home games against Philadelphia and Denver, New Orleans scored only 15 points in the fourth Wednesday. Greivis Vasquez missed a 3 that would have cut the deficit to one, and Oklahoma City's Daequan Cook sank a 3 to make the score 79-72.
With the Hornets trailing by six, Landry traveled on one possession. A little later, he had a layup roll off the rim.
Durant sealed the victory with baskets when the Hornets got within six later in the fourth.
While Durant struggled early, Emeka Okafar made his first three shots as the Thunder stumbled through the early minutes. Westbrook turned the ball over on a rare 5-seconds call while dribbling aimlessly on the perimeter, then got stuffed by Kaman on a drive to the basket, fell to the floor and had the ball go out of bounds off him.
The Hornets scored the first eight points. They led by 10 twice, 17-7 and 19-9 before the Thunder woke up.
"We showed that we can come out and jump on teams early, but we also showed we have difficulty sustaining it for 48 minutes," said Hornets guard Jarrett Jack, who had eight points and eight assists. "It's frustrating."
Durant hit his last five shots of the first half, including a 3-pointer for Oklahoma City's first basket more than three minutes into the game.
Westbrook had 15 of his 22 points in the second half.
"We've been together for a while and we know games like this count when it's time for playoff seeding and we need to come in and get games like this," he said. "Fifth game in six nights, whatever it is, we've got to be ready to play."
Game notesThe game was played with two officials after David Guthrie left with 8:25 remaining in the second quarter. The Hornets said Guthrie said he heard something pop in a knee. ... The loudest cheer of the night came when the Hornets P.A. announcer saluted New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram and defensive end Cameron Jordan, who were watching from the front row. ... The Hornets have yet to score 100 points in a game.
http://www.nba.com/video/games/clippers/2012/01/11/0021100153_mia_lac_recap.nba
LOS ANGELES -- The Clippers delivered their biggest win of the young season for their long-suffering fans, and promptly wanted to forget about it.
Chris Paul had 27 points and 11 assists as Clippers rallied to beat Miami 95-89 in overtime Wednesday night, dealing the Heat a second straight extra-time loss.
"It's just another win, we can't hang our hat on that," said Blake Griffin, who had 20 points and 12 rebounds. "It's about winning these games and winning the so-called smaller games because that's what puts your franchise in a winning position."
Caron Butler added 20 points, and Chauncey Billups had 12 for the Clippers, 9-2 against Miami at home since 2001-02. DeAndre Jordan had 11 rebounds.
Both teams were coming off road losses the previous night, when the Heat lost at Golden State in OT.
"The level was definitely raised a little bit," Griffin said. "We were tired, but the intensity was as high as it should be. It's good to get a win and get it by grinding it out."
LeBron James had 23 points and 13 rebounds for the 200th double-double of his career, Mario Chalmers added 18 points, Dwyane Wade 17 and Chris Bosh had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat, who have lost their last four games against the Clippers at Staples Center.
"We defended and gave ourselves a chance to win, and that's all you can ask for," James said. "So we can be satisfied. I mean, you don't like to lose, but we're not going to hang our heads about this one."
The Clippers outscored the Heat 9-3 in the extra session, when James, Bosh and Wade missed on a combined seven shots and the team was 1 for 10. Miami coach Erik Spoelstra got ejected after a technical foul with 5 seconds left.
Miami's Big Three struggled in the fourth quarter, too, combining to go 3 for 8 as the team went 4 of 12.
"A lot of times we were able to get LeBron to the rim and that's what we wanted," Wade said. "It's not always going to go in, but we can leave here with our heads up high, knowing that we stuck to our game plan. We just didn't get the win."
The Clippers' shooting nearly let them down in the final 4 minutes of regulation, when they missed shot after shot but got bailed out by Miami's own problems.
The Clippers led by two with 27 seconds left in regulation before James tied it at 86 on a free throw. The Clippers called their final timeout and Paul dribbled around with James hounding him before putting up a shot that missed as time expired, forcing the Heat to the third overtime of their trip.
James missed three consecutive baskets in overtime and he was 6 of 10 from the line in the final 5:49 of regulation. Chalmers hit a 3-pointer for Miami's only points in the extra session.
Jordan scored four points and Butler had three in OT.
With the Clippers trailing 84-83, Billups got fouled by James on a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left in regulation and made all three free throws. The Clippers finished 17 of 23 from the line, while the Heat were 20 of 34.
"We missed 14 free throws and eight of them came from me," James said. "I've been shooting the ball particularly well from the free throw line, but tonight I didn't make enough. So I put our free throw shooting on me. It's kind of a rhythm when it trickles down to everybody else, so I've got to concentrate a little more and knock them down when I get fouled."
Wade added, "We haven't missed this many free throws on this team, probably ever."
The Heat won two video reviews in the final 16 seconds of regulation, but they failed to make a field goal in the final 7:32.
Neither team led by more than three points in a physical fourth quarter that featured Wade knocking Paul to the court and Norris Cole and Mo Williams colliding.
"There's a lot of guys out there that, if you look at them, they like to lift a lot of weights, so it is going to be physical," James said. "These are two teams that have high hopes, so when that kind of clash happens, it's going to be physical."
The Clippers ended the third quarter with a 12-9 spurt, capped by Paul whipping a pass across the lane to Jordan for a baseline dunk that sent them into the final 12 minutes leading 70-69. Paul and Butler combined for 10 of the Clippers' 12 points in the run.
Game notes
The Clippers went 1-1 in their first back-to-back of the shortened season. ... The Heat are 5-3 in four back-to-back sets. ... Paul evened his career rivalry with good friend James at six wins apiece. "We hate to lose to each other," Paul said. ... The game drew a standing room only crowd of 19,341. The Clippers have sold out all five of their home games and 17 straight dating to last season. ... Celebs attending included Rihanna, Chris Rock, Billy Crystal, Sinbad, Gabrielle Union, and former Los Angeles Angels teammates Jered Weaver and John Lackey. Union is Wade's girlfriend
LOS ANGELES -- The Clippers delivered their biggest win of the young season for their long-suffering fans, and promptly wanted to forget about it.
Chris Paul had 27 points and 11 assists as Clippers rallied to beat Miami 95-89 in overtime Wednesday night, dealing the Heat a second straight extra-time loss.
"It's just another win, we can't hang our hat on that," said Blake Griffin, who had 20 points and 12 rebounds. "It's about winning these games and winning the so-called smaller games because that's what puts your franchise in a winning position."
Caron Butler added 20 points, and Chauncey Billups had 12 for the Clippers, 9-2 against Miami at home since 2001-02. DeAndre Jordan had 11 rebounds.
Both teams were coming off road losses the previous night, when the Heat lost at Golden State in OT.
"The level was definitely raised a little bit," Griffin said. "We were tired, but the intensity was as high as it should be. It's good to get a win and get it by grinding it out."
LeBron James had 23 points and 13 rebounds for the 200th double-double of his career, Mario Chalmers added 18 points, Dwyane Wade 17 and Chris Bosh had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat, who have lost their last four games against the Clippers at Staples Center.
"We defended and gave ourselves a chance to win, and that's all you can ask for," James said. "So we can be satisfied. I mean, you don't like to lose, but we're not going to hang our heads about this one."
The Clippers outscored the Heat 9-3 in the extra session, when James, Bosh and Wade missed on a combined seven shots and the team was 1 for 10. Miami coach Erik Spoelstra got ejected after a technical foul with 5 seconds left.
Miami's Big Three struggled in the fourth quarter, too, combining to go 3 for 8 as the team went 4 of 12.
"A lot of times we were able to get LeBron to the rim and that's what we wanted," Wade said. "It's not always going to go in, but we can leave here with our heads up high, knowing that we stuck to our game plan. We just didn't get the win."
The Clippers' shooting nearly let them down in the final 4 minutes of regulation, when they missed shot after shot but got bailed out by Miami's own problems.
The Clippers led by two with 27 seconds left in regulation before James tied it at 86 on a free throw. The Clippers called their final timeout and Paul dribbled around with James hounding him before putting up a shot that missed as time expired, forcing the Heat to the third overtime of their trip.
James missed three consecutive baskets in overtime and he was 6 of 10 from the line in the final 5:49 of regulation. Chalmers hit a 3-pointer for Miami's only points in the extra session.
Jordan scored four points and Butler had three in OT.
With the Clippers trailing 84-83, Billups got fouled by James on a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left in regulation and made all three free throws. The Clippers finished 17 of 23 from the line, while the Heat were 20 of 34.
"We missed 14 free throws and eight of them came from me," James said. "I've been shooting the ball particularly well from the free throw line, but tonight I didn't make enough. So I put our free throw shooting on me. It's kind of a rhythm when it trickles down to everybody else, so I've got to concentrate a little more and knock them down when I get fouled."
Wade added, "We haven't missed this many free throws on this team, probably ever."
The Heat won two video reviews in the final 16 seconds of regulation, but they failed to make a field goal in the final 7:32.
Neither team led by more than three points in a physical fourth quarter that featured Wade knocking Paul to the court and Norris Cole and Mo Williams colliding.
"There's a lot of guys out there that, if you look at them, they like to lift a lot of weights, so it is going to be physical," James said. "These are two teams that have high hopes, so when that kind of clash happens, it's going to be physical."
The Clippers ended the third quarter with a 12-9 spurt, capped by Paul whipping a pass across the lane to Jordan for a baseline dunk that sent them into the final 12 minutes leading 70-69. Paul and Butler combined for 10 of the Clippers' 12 points in the run.
Game notes
The Clippers went 1-1 in their first back-to-back of the shortened season. ... The Heat are 5-3 in four back-to-back sets. ... Paul evened his career rivalry with good friend James at six wins apiece. "We hate to lose to each other," Paul said. ... The game drew a standing room only crowd of 19,341. The Clippers have sold out all five of their home games and 17 straight dating to last season. ... Celebs attending included Rihanna, Chris Rock, Billy Crystal, Sinbad, Gabrielle Union, and former Los Angeles Angels teammates Jered Weaver and John Lackey. Union is Wade's girlfriend
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Kobe Bryant nets 48 as Lakers top Suns to stay on roll
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES -- Bum wrist and all, Kobe Bryant showed why he's one of the NBA's best closers, breaking open a tight game with 15 of the Los Angeles Lakers' final 17 points.
Bryant finished with 48 points, tops in the league this season, in a 99-83 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, the Lakers' seventh straight win at home and third in a row overall.
The NBA's leading scorer topped the 40-point mark for the first time this season with his fifth straight game of 25 or more. Bryant was 18 of 31 from the floor and made 12 of 13 free throws. Pau Gasol added 16 points and 12 rebounds.
"If I play bad or have one bad game like I did in Denver, everybody cries for a change or cries for the fact that I'm too old. It's just a bad game with a bad wrist," Bryant said, referring to his 16 points in a loss against the Nuggets on New Year's Day. "You got to figure out a way to get it done."
Bryant said he gets an injection before every game to cope with his ailing right wrist.
In his previous four games, Bryant had 26 points against Memphis on Sunday, 39 against Golden State, 30 at Portland and 37 against Houston.
"He's always going to be aggressive and assertive to score, but he's picking his spots and he's doing it in a very efficient manner," Derek Fisher said.
"That ranks it right up there with the best of them because it doesn't look like he's trying to do it. He's just doing it within the flow of the game. That's been very effective for him and for us."
The victory was especially sweet for Bryant, who has never hidden his disdain for the Suns, a team right behind the Lakers in the Pacific Division.
"I don't like them," he said. "They used to whup us pretty good and let us know about it. I won't forget that."
Channing Frye scored 17 points, Marcin Gortat had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Steve Nash added 13 points and eight assists for the Suns, who had their two-game winning streak snapped.
The Suns hung around until the game's final 6 1/2 minutes, when they trailed by one. That's when Bryant took over with a variety of moves, banking in a jumper, dunking on consecutive baskets, hitting a fade away and making his free throws.
"He's the best player in the game, so you come to expect that type of performance from him, if not regularly, then throughout the season at different times," Nash said. "He was phenomenal."
Shannon Brown scored Phoenix's first six points of the fourth quarter, twice drawing the Suns within one. He and Frye then hit consecutive 3-pointers that got the Suns to 83-82, but they were never able to take the lead in Brown's first game against his former team. He finished with 11 points.
"If he don't care about his wrist, I don't care about his wrist," Frye said. "Everybody makes a big deal about it, but he's been scoring 28, 30 a game. So let's just call it what it is. He's a great player, he's the best individual player in basketball, and every night he comes to work. For us, we don't like losing to the Lakers. But they came out and played a good game, and he played an amazing game."
Phoenix led by one in the third and tied the game twice after that before getting outscored 11-6 to end the quarter trailing 73-68.
"I thought we did a good job of defending Kobe, but the guy makes tough shots. There's a reason he is who he is," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "Obviously, Kobe took the game over at the end there and we just couldn't make the shots. Part of it was their defense, and part of it was that we just didn't make the doggone things."
The Lakers led 46-40 at the break after allowing the Suns to erase most of their 12-point lead in the second quarter. The Suns got balanced scoring in a 15-2 run that drew them within one before Bryant and Gasol keyed a 9-2 spurt to end the first half, when Bryant scored 23.
Bryant scored 13 of the Lakers' final 15 points to put them up 25-19 in the first quarter after they trailed by nine.
Game notes
It was Bryant's 108th career 40-point game. He had three last season. ... The Lakers had 15 turnovers after turning the ball over 27 times in a 90-82 win against Memphis two nights earlier. ... The Lakers G Jason Kapono missed the game to be with his wife after she gave birth to twins and F-C Troy Murphy sat out with an upset stomach. ... Brown said he had mixed emotions about facing the team he won two NBA titles with before leaving the Lakers as a free agent. Bryant scored over Brown to end the first quarter. ... The game was the first of 18 back-to-back sets the Lakers will play in this lockout-shortened season. They'll be at Utah on Wednesday night.
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