[Miami, FL] After a tough loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on the West Coast, the Miami Heat wanted to turn things around against the visiting New Jersey Nets. Coming into the game, the Heat had to worry about one player on the Nets: Derron Williams.
On Sunday, he scored a franchise record 57 points against the Charlotte Bobcats.
But the Nets would have to contend with Chris Bosh, who was back in the starting lineup after missing a few games. Bosh was attending to his ill grandmother and her eventual funeral. The Heat have been sorely missing a dominant force inside – especially in the rebound department – and Bosh was the answer.
In the first quarter, the Nets jumped out to an early lead. But the Heat came back and blew the quarter wide open. Dwyane Wade and LeBron James combined to score 15 points. Bosh scored 6 points and Dexter Pittman put in 4. At the end of one, the Miami Heat were up 30-17.
The Heat sizzled in the second. The role players played great, combining to score 18 points, most of those coming from three-pointers. Wade and Bosh combined to score 10 points to add to the lead. Towards the end of the half, Wade landed on his ankle very awkwardly and didn’t play for the rest of the game. Ouch.
At halftime, the Heat were up 64-37.
Copyright NBAE 2012 (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
Chris Bosh goes to the rim for the Miami Heat
James and Bosh scorched the Nets in the third quarter. Together they scored 14 points while James had 3 assists. Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers also chipped in, hitting three 3 pointers between the two of them. At the end of the 3rd quarter, LeBron made a spectacular half-court shot to put the Heat up by 32.
At the end of three, the Heat were up 88-56.
The Miami Heat bench was brought in to finish this thing off and they didn’t miss a beat. They kept the Nets at bay and the final score was Heat 108, Nets 78.
It was an all-around team effort on Tuesday night. LeBron James had 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. Chris Bosh scored 20 points and had 2 rebounds. Dexter Pittman played a great game, scoring 10 points and was a big factor on the boards, reeling in 6 rebounds.
“We’ve been looking at his whole body of work the last four of six weeks,” Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra said of Pittman. “He’s getting in better shape physically. You can tell. His weight is way down.”
LeBron was happy with the effort as well, saying that, “We worked our habits today and we got better.”
Next up for the Miami Heat: Atlanta on Wednesday.
By: Michael Tristani II/Sunshine Slate
Images: Copyright NBAE 2012 (Photos by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
Miami Heat
