LeBron James shines yet again as Miami Heat take a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals – NBA Recap Part 2
A finger roll by James Harden gave OKC the lead once again, with 7:32 left in the game. However, Miami were determined to give in to another late charge by the Thunder.
LeBron James and Dwyane Wade combined to score 8 straight points which had them leading the Thunder 84-77.
What followed was a six point spree by Thunder which brought them at 85-86. Bosh was fouled by Thabo Sefolosha on the next Miami trip and scored both free throws to have his team up by 3 with 1:19 left.
Kevin Durant then missed a jump shot which was rebounded by Russell Westbrook. He too missed an open three point attempt and Miami collected the ball. OKC fouled LeBron who scored on one of his two free throws.
Miami were up by 4 but with 16.2 seconds left in the game, Sefolosha turned the ball over while inbounding it. Wade grabbed the ball, was fouled, and went on to make both free throws to put the game out of Thunder reach. The Heat
went on to win 91-85.
James was 11 of 23 from the field and 6 of 8 from the foul line. Dwyane Wade finished with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists although he was only 8 of 22 from the field.
Chris Bosh had 10 points and 11 rebounds while Shane Battier finished with 9 points for the Heat.
Durant went 11 of 19 for his 25 points but foul trouble had him sit out half of the third period. Westbrook finished with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists as he went 8 of 18 from the field. James Harden was mediocre for the
night, going 2 of 10 from the field for 9 points. Kendrick Perkins had 10 points and Derek Fisher added 9 from the bench. OKC were missing their offensive punch on a night when their main scorers struggled.
"It was frustrating. Of course we had a good lead and they came back and made some shots. We fouled shooters on the 3-point line twice. It's a tough break for us, man. You know, I hate sitting on the bench, especially with fouls,”
said Durant after the game.
Durant missed his explosiveness in the final period that we have grown accustomed to seeing from him this postseason. James on the other hand, carried his team throughout the game and ensured he finished the game for Miami.
"He was great. He's been great for us all playoffs," said Heat forward Udonis Haslem.
Miami shot 37.8% from the field and 30.8% from the distance. They were spot on from the foul line, scoring on 31 of 35 free throws earned. OKC shot better from the field at 42.9% but were 4 of 18 from the distance and a dismal
15 of 24 from the free throw line. Miami had a 16 point advantage just in free throws. The Thunder were also outrebounded by Miami 45-38 although they had 9 steals compared to 6 for the Heat.
Game 4 will be played on Tuesday night at the American Airlines Arena where Miami will have the chance of taking a 3-1 lead in the series.
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