(Photo Credit: Kent Smith)
The Miami HEAT continued their winning ways Wednesday night, defeating the Charlotte Bobcats 105-92. With the win the HEAT improved to 20-6. The HEAT continue their road trip Friday night in Detroit.
Impact Performance of the Night: Dwyane Wade led the HEAT with 29 points. He added a season-high nine rebounds and five assists. Wade did his damage on 52.6 percent shooting from the field.
The Deciding Run: The Bobcats withstood the HEAT’s early run and closed their deficit to two with just over seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. The HEAT went on a quick 11-3 run and the Bobcats never threatened again. Shane Battier had two key plays during the run. He drew a charge on Bismack Biyombo then drained an open three two possessions later.
Play of the Game: The first few minutes were a HEAT highlight package. LeBron James had two dunks that stand out. On his first dunk he took off from the right side of the floor, hung in the air, went under the rim and finished with a thunderous slam on the left slide. A short time later he threw down a powerful slam in transition. Both were extremely impressive.
Efficiency Rating: Offensive Efficiency: 109.4; Defensive Efficiency: 94.5
Trend to Watch: Mario Chalmers’ shooting is starting to come around. Chalmers started the season slow from the floor, but the last two games have been very encouraging. He’s made eight of his last 14 threes, providing some much needed space for the HEAT. Chalmers’ shooting last season was a big part of the HEAT’s offense last season. As he continues to recover from a hand injury, it’ll be interesting to see how his shot responds.
The Takeaway: The HEAT won another second night of a back-to-back. No matter the opponent, it’s hard to win on the road the day after playing a game. It’s even more difficult following a game against a title contender. The HEAT took care of business, even if it wasn’t pretty the whole time. Put another check in the win column and move on.
Notes: LeBron James finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. Mario Chalmers with 17 points, four assists and zero turnovers. Chris Bosh scored 14 points. Ray Allen missed the game with a sore shoulder and is day-to-day. Dexter Pittman was sent to the NBA Developmental League before the game.
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