Dwyane Wade scores 40, as Miami survive fourth quarter surge to trounce the Knicks 106-98
The big plays from the Big Three of Miami just keep on coming.
On Tuesday night it was Dwyane Wade’s turn to scorch the court, as he pounded 40 points and grabbed nine rebounds to knock off the Knicks in Miami. LeBron
James and Chris Bosh were not far behind though. The two stalwarts shared 36 points and 20 rebounds, as the New York Knicks again failed to contain the Heat. With this win the Heat have now won their last seven games against the Knicks by an average of 13.4
points.
It was not the Big Three though who set the tone early for the Heat. Rather it was the 7ft 3in tall Zydrunas Ilgauskas who started it all, as he posted 12 points and nine rebounds
in the first quarter. The Knicks had the first shot at the ring to go up 2-0, but that was the last time they took the lead in the entire match, as the men from South Beach turned on the Heat show. With
the score tied at 9-all five minutes into the first quarter, it was James who unleashed the Miami firepower, as he fired in a driving dunk shot. Less than minute later Ilgauskas took over as he netted three in a row to launch a 23-4 stretch, which sparked
the Heat to a 34-15 lead with a minute to go until the buzzer.
The Knicks responded with a 9-1 run in the first and the second quarter, but the red hot Miami offence was simply unstoppable, as they thundered off another 14-3 spurt midway to romp
ahead at 49-27; their biggest advantage of the match. The Knicks though put up a valiant fight in the face of the ferocious onslaught, reeling off a 13-4 run to make it a 13-point game going into the
break. However the fight-back did not end there.
The Knicks opened the second half with a bang, as they ran riot on the Miami back-line to pull within six points midway through the third quarter. The Knicks surge was nipped abruptly
though, as Wade and Bosh combined to pull off another 14-4 opening for the dominant Heat. Staring at a 15-point deficit going into the final frame the Knicks refused to back-off, as they again took the
fight to the Heat. A combination of free throws, jumpers and three pointers allowed them to slowly chipped away at Miami’s advantage, and a Raymond Felton throw from the foul line made it 94-97 with two minutes left on the clock.
This was the closest the Knicks got, as Wade knocked down a crucial three pointer and James followed it with a driving lay-up to settle the Miami nerves. It was all Wade the rest
of the way, as the Heat clung on for 106-98 victory. Amar’e Stoudemire led the assault for the Knicks with 30 points, while Wilson Chandler fetched 21 for New York. Three other New York players also
got into double figures, but their endeavours were not enough to topple the high flying Miami Heat.
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