Big Three star as Miami Heat hold off third quarter surge to beat Atlanta Hawks 89-77
Miami have struggled against the teams having more than 50 percent winning record in the league all season and despite winning three in a row coming into the match, the encounter against Atlanta Hawks was an acid test.
"We know we haven't played up to par against some of the best, the plus-.500 teams," James said after Heat rolled past Cleveland 118-90 on Thursday night. "So, we've got an Atlanta Hawk team that's coming into our building on Saturday, which is a plus-.500
team, and we're going to try to keep this momentum going."
LeBron James vowed to change all that, and Miami Heat responded as they thrashed Atlanta Hawks 89-77 on Saturday night at the American Airlines Arena.
Heat's Big Three of Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade combined with fury as they ripped apart the Atlanta defense, scoring 75 of Miami’s 89 points. Miami's bench only contributed 12 points in the game, but it wasn't needed because of the strong production
from the core of the starting line-up.
Chris Bosh outscored his more fancied buddies for the first time this season leading Heat with 27 points while Dwyane Wade finished with 26 as Heat pulled off an 11 point unanswered surge down the stretch to roll past the Hawks.
First Quarter
Mike Bibby started the match as he ripped in a triple pointer for the Hawks but Bosh, James and Wade netted one a piece to give Miami the lead, one they never relinquished throughout the match. The Big Three were in full flow as they reeled off a 13-2 run
capped by a Wade reverse layup shot to give Heat an early advantage.
Second Quarter
Facing a deficit of 26-15, Atlanta Hawks showed fight and Josh Powell slammed the ring to pull back the lead to seven points at 23-30 with 8:55 left till half time. Heat responded back though as they sprinted to a 14-4 run midway through the second quarter
to sit pretty at 44-27.
Third Quarter
Heat entered the second half with a 50-36 advantage and were calling the shots in the game.
Hawks had some venom left though and Miami didn’t see it coming, as the visitors busted open an 8-2 run early in the third quarter.
Atlanta continued their up tempo game putting the Miami defence under intense pressure and came within a striking distance at 61-63 to end the third quarter, courtesy a 7-2 late run.
James, who led the Miami Heat in the first half with 16 points, was quiet offensive in the third as Miami began to lose track.
Fourth Quarter
With a 14 point advantage at half time reduced to 2 in the third quarter, nerves started to sow on the Miami front. Wade and Bosh though kept the Heat in the lead as the duo scored all the points in the first eight minutes.
James got his first field goal of the second half with 2:52 remaining - a thunderous slam, followed by a scream, giving Miami a 81-72 lead and Mario Chalmers hit an off-balance jumper with 1:38 left all part of a 10-0 stretch, capped by two free throws from
James, that took the match away from Hawks' grasp. The keys during the spurt were a blocked shot by Joel Anthony and steal by Dwyane Wade that really set the tone for the remainder of the match.
Match stats
LeBron James finished with 22 points and 7 rebounds while Wade and Bosh each had 10 rebounds for Heat. Miami had a shooting rate of 47.2 percent and led the Hawks 23-9 on the fast break points.
Al Horford spearheaded the Hawks with 22 points and nine rebounds while Mike Bibby had 10 points, six assists and 5 boards. Jamal Crawford and Josh Powell netted 12 apiece and Josh Smith chipped in with 11 points but their effort was not enough to stop Miami
Heat from snapping their five match winning streak.
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Despite their poor start, the on court chemistry between the Big Three was ominous and it seems now that they are finally getting their act together – a prospect that can send shivers down the spine of the best defences in the league.
Dywane Wade reiterated, "I think all three of us are starting to feel comfortable with our roles. We're starting to understand what it takes to win some games."
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