LeBron James scores season-high 41, Miami Heat edge out Philadelphia 76ers 99-93 – NBA Recap
LeBron James scored a season high 41 points as Miami Heat overcame the Philadelphia 76ers 99-93 here at the American Airlines Arena in Miami.
Heat star Dwayne Wade sat out the game with a bruised left knee and that meant more responsibility for LeBron offensively. He answered the challenge by leading the Heat in offense, scoring 15 of the 23 Heat points in the 4th
quarter.
Philadelphia kept at Miami’s tail throughout the first quarter, matching play for play. There was a lot of paint penetration by both teams and some fancy passes and dunks were displayed in the process. The 1st quarter
ended with Miami leading 29-27. The second quarter was much of the same, with Philadelphia outscoring Miami 27-22.
James shined in the first half for Heat with 18 points. Andre Iguodala had 9 for the Sixers, who led by 54-51 at the break.
The 3rd quarter was much slower offensively than the first half. LeBron and the Heat picked up their defensive game and reduced the Sixers to only 16 points in the quarter, scoring 25 themselves.
James made a 3-point shot with 4:03 remaining in the 3rd to increase Miami’s lead to 9. Philadelphia however scored the last 4 points of the quarter to finish 6 points behind Miami. The score was 76-70 to Miami at the
start of the fourth.
The Sixers suffered a huge blow when Andre Iguodala was accidentally poked in the eye and had to leave the game with 4:42 remaining in the 3rd quarter. He did not return for the match.
"To start the third quarter, we were careless with the ball and turned it over. We didn't have the crisp movement that we had in the first half ... Turnovers were really the killer for us. We had 17. On the year, when we get up
over 14 a game, we don't usually win" said Sixers coach Doug Collins.
With Iguodala gone, the Sixers could not close in on Miami as the Heat led throughout the 4th quarter. The Sixers were able to convert possessions into points but they simply had no answer for LeBron, who was at his
best in the absence of Dwayne Wade. The match ended with the Heat ahead by 99-93.
Chris Bosh scored 17 points for Miami, while Mario Chalmers had 19. Udonis Haslem came off the bench to grab 11 rebounds. The Heat shot poorly from beyond the arc, going just 3-13 for the match.
Evan Turner scored 26 points for the Sixers and grabbed 8 rebounds, while Andre Iguodala scored 11 points before he had to leave the game deep in the 3rd. He played 26 minutes in total. Elton Brand was a non-starter
for the Sixers, scoring just 8 points on 1-of-6 from the field.
The Miami Heat improved their season record to 38-14 and clinched a playoff spot after this win. They are now 22-2 at home, the best home win-loss record in the league at the moment.
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