Miami Heat thump the Los Angeles Clippers in Game -1 of 2012 NBA China Games
LeBron James hammered a game high 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists while Ray Allen scored 15 points in nearly 26 minutes, including three daggers from the land of three, as the defending champions Miami Heat rolled over the
Los Angeles Clippers 94-80 in Game-1 of the 2012 NBA China Games at the MasterCard Center, Beijing.
Blake Griffin paced the Clippers with 19 points and eight rebounds while Jamal Crawford ended the night with 16 points and 3 steals. Both Griffin (6) and Crawford (5) were responsible for 11 of the total 25 Clippers’ turnovers.
Miami had only 12 turnovers, and despite being out rebounded 52-34, they never really allowed the Clips to break free.
Heat led the game from start till end and extended their advantage to as much as 27 deep in the second quarter. Shane Battier knocked down a three as Miami started the game with a bang and raced onto a 16-4 lead under the first
five and a half minutes. An 11-5 response saw the Clippers pull within 6, but an 8-3 quarter capping spurt gave Miami a 29-18 lead.
Heat then opened the second quarter with a 10-2 run and continued to dominate, with another 12-0 run propelling them to a 53-26 advantage deep, the biggest of the game. Clippers scored the last nine points of the half though and
entered the third quarter with a 35-53 deficit.
The game was pretty much decided by that point and with Chris Paul on the bench; Los Angeles never really stood a chance.
For Heat it was also time to test the reserves. Dwyane Wade also played his first game back from a left knee surgery. He was visibly rusty and that was epitomized when he missed an open two handed flush. The shooting guard went
2 of 9 to end the game with 5 points.
Chris Bosh played for nearly 22 minutes, ending up with 10 points. Norris Cole and Rodney Carney had 11 apiece for the Heat as well.
The two sides will play the second – and the last – game of the series in Shanghai on Sunday.
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