Miami Heat’s Dwayne Wade (left) looks in as Boston Celtics’ Terrence Williams (centre) passes away from Miami Heat’s Rashard Lewis in the second half of their NBA game in Miami, Florida, yesterday.
MIAMI: LeBron James led with 20 points and nine assists in a 109-101 win over Boston as the Miami Heat benefited from having their big three reunited for the first time in two weeks.
James also had six rebounds, Chris Bosh finished with 17 points and seven rebounds and Dwyane Wade chipped in with 11 points yesterday for the Heat, who have a franchise record 63 wins on the season.
Because of injuries, Miami’s magic trio has been in and out of the lineup in recent weeks weeks.
“It was good to have most of our guys back tonight,” Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We have to keep moving forward.”
The Heat, who have already clinched home-court advantage through the playoffs, also wanted to give them a rest as the regular season winds down.
Heading into today’s contest, James had missed four of the team’s last six games to rest an ailing hamstring.
Wade missed six games because of an ankle and knee injuries and Bosh had missed the previous three games with a knee problem and an illness.
Wade bumped his sore knee against the Celtics and will receive more treatment today. Miami host Chicago tomorrow in the third-to-last game of the season.
“I’m not at 100 percent,” Wade said. “I haven’t been at 100 percent in a long time.”
Rashard Lewis chipped in 19 points for the Heat in the win over the under-manned Celtics.
Jeff Green and Jordan Crawford paced Boston with 25 and 20 points, respectively.
Green hurt his left elbow during the game but said afterward he was OK.
“I had the nerve go numb and it wouldn’t come back as fast as I wanted it to,” Green said. “I’m fine.”
The Celtics played without their two leading scorers as Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett sat with lingering ankle issues.
Courtney Lee opened the second quarter with a three-pointer to give Boston a 30-17 lead at American Airlines Arena.
Miami answered with a 17-4 run to level the score and took their first lead of the contest on a Norris Cole three-pointer with just under five minutes left in the second.
The Heat led 58-50 at halftime after Wade hit a field goal at the buzzer to cap a 41-point quarter.
Miami never trailed in the second half and took an 87-75 lead into the fourth thanks to Lewis’ three-pointer in the final minute of the third.
Lewis also nailed a three-pointer on the first possession of the fourth while being fouled. He missed the free throw but it didn’t matter as the Heat kept rolling the rest of the way. Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant declared his season over after scoring 34 points before leaving the game with a likely torn Achilles tendon, as the Los Angeles Lakers kept their playoff hopes alive with a 118-116 win over Golden State.
Bryant said he felt a “pop” as he tried to beat Harrison Barnes to the outside with just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter of yesterday night’s tight National Basketball Association contest.
“I felt like I got kicked. It is a move I make a million times and pop,” Bryant said.
“Just a freak situation I guess.”
Lakers’ spokesman John Black said after the game that Bryant had a “probable torn Achilles.”
“Bryant will undergo an MRI examination tomorrow to confirm the diagnosis,” Black said.
The all-star guard and future Hall of Famer went one further insisting he already knows the extent of the injury and his season is over.
“I can’t walk. I tried to put pressure on my heel to see if I can do it that way and there is nothing there,” Bryant said.
“I had no Achilles, that is the sensation. MRI, surgery and then recovery.”
The Lakers still managed to secure the victory at Staples Center arena without Bryant, as Steve Blake made two free throws with 42 seconds remaining before they held off Golden State to stay in the hunt for a post-season spot.
With just three games left in the season heading into the contest, the fifth leading scorer in NBA history had been on a punishing pace trying to carry the Lakers on his back down the stretch.
He tried playing entire quarters yesterday without taking a break and it finally caught up to him in the third quarter when he injured his knee and foot on separate plays.
But he stayed in the contest until 3:08 in the fourth when he collided with Barnes, drawing a foul.
He hobbled to the stripe and sank two free throws to tie the game 109-109 and then limped off the court for the final time and headed straight to the dressing room.Agencies
