MIami Heat fall to Charlotte Bobcats despite huge third quarter from LeBron James
It’s unlikely that fans of the Miami Heat were overly concerned that their team lost Monday 18 October's pre-season game in Miami 102-96 to the Charlotte Bobcats. However, many were likely
ecstatic at the sight of LeBron James, returning to action after missing the last game with a sore hamstring, playing like the two-time reigning NBA MVP that he is.
One night after Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers poured in 19 points in the third quarter, James came close to matching the five-time NBA champion with 16 points on 5-8 shooting in
last night’s third frame. He finished the game with 33 points, four rebounds, five assists, and three steals in 29 minutes of play.
“I feel like I’m ready,” James said. “I don’t need those moments to know that I’m ready, but at the same time it’s a great feeling to be able to play at a high level like that in a quarter
and to be able to give my team an opportunity to succeed. I cherish those moments.”
James attacked the rim with an exuberant energy usually reserved for the post-season, throwing down some vicious slam dunks during the contest. Whether it’s the pre-season or the NBA Finals,
James vows to always play hard.
"I've been dialed up since the first preseason game," he said. "I don't take games off. Pre-season, regular season, I play my minutes as hard as I can."
D.J. Augustin led the Bobcats in scoring with 19 points while Derrick Brown shot 8-9 from the field for 18 points of his own. Centre Nazr Mohammed chipped in with 14 points while Stephen
Jackson had 10.
Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem each had near double-doubles with Bosh scoring 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds while Haslem finished with 12 and eight.
Scoring 19 points off of 15 Charlotte turnovers in the first half helped the Heat build a 49-44 lead at the midway break. Then came that dominant third quarter from James, who added four
rebounds and two assists to go along with his 16 points. The All-Star seemed winded after playing all 12 minutes in the quarter, crouching to the ground during the final minute.
With the starters for both teams on the bench, the Heat entered the final frame with an 80-71 lead. But the Bobcats outscored Miami 31-16 in the final 12 minutes, thanks to 14 points from
Brown and nine from Tyrus Thomas.
"I think the biggest thing is we found a way to grind it out with our second team," said Jackson after the game.
Dwyane Wade, who injured his hamstring in the first game of the pre-season, was in Chicago recovering from the injury while participating in an ongoing child custody battle for his two
young sons. He is expected to play in the Heat’s first game of the regular season on Tuesday 26 October.
The Heat caught a bad break when sharpshooter Mike Miller was forced to leave the game in the third quarter after spraining his left ankle.
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