The 15-point final margin suggests Miami won fairly easily, but this was a 3-point game until the final four minutes. The Canadian patrons relentlessly booed Chris Bosh (28 PTS, 5 REB, 1 BLK) — more knowledgeable fans would direct their wrath at GM Bryan Colangelo, who managed to get nothing at all for the perennial All-Star. Colangelo’s latest attempt to correct his own countless blunders is Rudy Gay (29 PTS, 4 REB, 3 STL), now the darling of the easily-fooled crowd. DeMar DeRozan (27 PTS) missed 11 shots but was a perfect 14-14 at the line. Kyle Lowry (10 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST, 5 TO) had trouble solving the Heat defense; the Raps shot 37% and missed 14 attempts from 3-point range. LeBron James (30 PTS, 8 REB, 7 AST, 2 STL) and Dwyane Wade (23 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST, 3 STL) made sure of a .500 road trip before joining their teammates next door in the VIP section of the spectacular Real Sports bar to watch some football.
Other February 3 Game Recaps
LAC @ BOS: Chalk up another victory to Celtic pride. That’s four straight wins without Rajon Rondo (torn ACL) as Paul Pierce (22 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL) is now the primary ballhandler. The Boston bench was terrific, scoring 51 points. Jeff Green (14 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST, 2 BLK) and Jason Terry (13 PTS, 6 AST) combined to hit five 3-pointers and Leandro Barbosa (14 PTS in 20:36) is getting regular minutes. For the Clippers, Eric Bledsoe (23 PTS, 10 AST, 7 REB, 2 STL) did an excellent job filling in for Chris Paul (kneecap) and a face-masked Jamal Crawford (23 PTS, 6 AST) wasn’t bothered by his broken nose, but the rest of the second unit got outplayed. Matt Barnes was a brutal 0-for-6 in 26 minutes after serving a 1-game suspension; from mid-December to mid-January, he was playing much better than the last couple of weeks.
LAL @ DET: Though he did fly to Detroit after his PRP injection, Dwight Howard didn’t play. Pau Gasol (23 PTS, 10 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL) had another solid start at C, Earl Clark (17 PTS, 10 REB, 2 BLK) played 42 minutes and Steve Nash (11 PTS, 10 AST, 5 REB) is contributing, though his two missed free throws in the final seconds could have been costly. Kobe Bryant (18 PTS, 5 AST, 3 REB, 2 STL) was relatively quiet, but the Lakers have won five of six since he became more interested in passing the ball than shooting. The Pistons were without Jose Calderon (visa) so Brandon Knight (10 PTS, 7 AST, 5 REB, 3 STL) started at PG and Will Bynum (18 PTS, 10 AST) provided a spark off the bench. Greg Monroe (20 PTS, 12 REB, 2 BLK) was a force in the middle and Kyle Singler (11 PTS, 6 REB) played 40 minutes as the only true SF remaining on the active roster. If only rookie Andre Drummond (9 PTS, 11 REB, 4 BLK, 2 STL in 23:22) could make free throws.