NBA Roundup 10th March, 2011: Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets win
Miami Heat 94 – Los Angeles Lakers 88
Miami Heat had lost last five of their games on a trot, making it the first time in their history that they have endured this long a slump. However, the men from the South
Beach saved their best for the ultimate clash against the two times defending champions, the Los angles Lakers.
Playing at the American Airlines Arena in the second leg of the season series, the Heat edged past the Lakers with a 94-88 win and also put an end to the eight-game winning
streak of the visitors.
The Big Three were the usual suspects when it came to scoring for the Heat. Forward Chris Bosh scored 24 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Guard Dwyane Wade chipped
in with 20 points while LeBron “King” James finished with 19 points in the victory.
Kobe Bryant was the top scorer for the Lakers. The shooting guard added 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds while Pau Gasol registered 20 points. Center Andrew Bynum ended
with 13 points and game-high 12 rebounds in the defeat.
Both teams played the opening quarter at crisp pace but the Heat managed to take a 29-26 lead into the second. Miami displayed some sloppy defence early in the second quarter,
allowing the Lakers to tie the contest at 36. However, the Heat recovered by turning up their defensive intensity again and took a 55-53 advantage at halftime.
The Lakers came strong in the third quarter and outscored Miami 17-13 and converted a 2-point halftime deficit into a 70-68 lead heading into the final stanza.
Mike Bibby’s 3-pointer tied the game at 72 early in the fourth quarter. Wade then stole the ball from Kobe Bryant and passed it King James to put the Heat ahead with 1:32
remaining. The Heat never relinquished the lead after that as they swept the season series 2-0.
Dallas Mavericks 127 – New York Knicks 109
The Dallas Mavericks pounded a season high in points as they topped the New York Knicks 127-109 and also snapped their three-game winning streak. Dirk Nowitzki posted 23
points while Shawn Marion added 22 points in the victory.
For the Knicks, Amare Stoudemire registered game-high 36 points while Carmelo Anthony added 18 points. The Knicks opened the contest at 6-0 run. They got cold after that
though as the Mavs turned the screws on. The Mavericks applied a 2-3 defensive zoning from the very start and took a 31-21 lead in to the second.
Dallas continued to widen their lead throughout the second quarter. They erupted with 41 points in the frame to take a 72-51 edge into the locker room. New York fought
hard in the third quarter to make the score a manageable one, but the Mavericks continued with their offensive brilliance. Dallas carried a 99-85 lead, heading into the final stanza.
The struggling Knicks did not get any closer than 12 points in the fourth quarter.
Denver Nuggets 116 – Phoenix Suns 97
The Denver Nuggets routed the Phoenix Suns 116-97 at US Airways Center. This win marked the first time, any team under Nuggets coach George Karl has succeeded in the valley
of the Sun, for more than 13 years.
Nene added 22 points and seven rebounds while Ty Lawson had 20 points and 11 assists in the victory. Marcin Gortat led the Suns with 14 points and 18 rebounds while guard-forward
Jared Dudley scored 13 points in the defeat.
Denver started the game actively and extended their lead to 10 points twice in the first ten minutes. The Suns however fought back and reduced the deficit to 30-25, going
into the second.
J.R. Smith came off the bench and scored eight points in the second quarter as the Nuggets ballooned their lead 59-49 at halftime.
The third quarter proved to be the turning point of the game as Denver out-played the Suns 31-17, taking a 90-66 lead into the last quarter. The result was never in doubt
after that and the Nuggets romped to a 19 point win.
Tags: