Miami Heat bounces back with a win over Philadelphia 76ers
After dropping their season-opener against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, the Miami Heat bounced back with a 97-87 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night 27 Oct at the Wachovia
Center in Philadelphia.
Dwyane Wade, who had a lackluster performance against the Celtics after missing their pre-season games with a hamstring injury, racked up game-high 30 points and seven rebounds for the Heat,
who is tagged as one of the favorites to win the title this year.
The 28-year old high-flying guard, who also had four assists and three steals, shot just 4-for-16 against the Celtics, but he found his stroke tonight, converting 10 of his 20 attempts from
the field.
"I got in a comfort zone," Wade said. "I missed some shots around the basket, but its coming."
Although they bagged their first win since joining forces in Miami, Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh are still struggling to adjust with each other, but Wade is optimistic that they will
eventually reach their peak this season.
"We're not at our peak, we're not even close," Wade said. "Eventually when it's time to be there, we will."
James, who was the lone bright spot in their season-opening loss, scored 16 points, dished out seven assists, and collected six rebounds, while Bosh added 15 points and seven assists for
Miami, who led by as much as 26 points in the game before Philadelphia unleashed a late rally in the final period.
The Heat also got a much-need boost from the bench as sweet-shooting forward James Jones waxed-hot from beyond-the-arc, converting six of his nine 3-pointers, to finish the game with 20 points
in 30 minutes of playing time.
"When Mike Miller went out, James Jones took it upon himself to step up," Wade said on Jones' impressive night. "He went to his spots on the court and let it go when we found him. We have
a lot of trust in James to make shots."
The 30-year old forward, who considered retirement because of a wrist injury, converted four-consecutive long-range bombs, which sparked 16-2 run that gave the Heat a 49-41 cushion at the
half. Miami continued to dominate in the second half, and they managed to stop Philadelphia’s late rally to seal their first victory of the season.
The 2010 second-overall pick, Evan Turner, silenced his critics tonight as the Ohio State product led the Sixers with his 16 points and seven rebounds, while Louis Williams and Thaddeus Young
added 15 points each for Philadelphia.
Elton Brand, who was impressed with how they managed to trim the huge lead to eight in the final period, racked up 12 points and nine assists for the Sixers.
"I liked how we kept fighting and never gave up," Brand said. "Even when we were down big, we kept going and coming back. While we lost the game, I liked the fight that we showed."
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