LeBron Reaches Milestone as HEAT Cruise

By: Matt Pineda

Erik Spoelstra benched Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh the entier fourth quarter again, this time along with LeBron James. Unlike in Utah, the HEAT held a 30 point lead going into the fourth and got exactly what they needed with a back-to-back the next night against the Lakers, an easy win.

The HEAT got off to a slow start the first few minutes of the game, but after those few minutes, they simply turned up their defensive pressure and squashed the Warriors. Golden State won earlier this season in Miami with a comeback win, and Miami wanted to set the record straight. Without leading scorer Stephen Curry, the Warriors couldn’t find the right amount of energy and talent to contend with the HEAT.

Near the end of the first half, LeBron James reached his milestone. After recording his 5,000th assists early in the game, LeBron hit a shot in the lane to pass the 20,000 point plateau, becoming the youngest player ever to do it, and the 8th fastest.

The HEAT were able to push their lead to 14 by the half, holding the Warriors to only 38 points. But it was the third quarte that changed everything. Miami outscored Golden State 28-12 and held a 34 point lead a one point. Defense and some hot shooting propelled them to be able to rest the starters in the fourth. And it was mostly the starters work, as they only had 8 points off the bench in the first three quarters.

Dwyane Wade played a good game along with a strong second half by Mario Chalmers. Bosh continued to struggle with 11 points on 5-14 shooting, a far cry from his productive game in Portland. In the fourth, the reserves coasted and struggled to score, being outscored 12-25.

In the end, Miami won the game 92-75. They improved to 25-12 and stay atop the Eastern Conference.

Game MVP: LeBron James

The King had 25 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds. He played a complete game, led the HEAT defensively and passed to great milestones. For the few minutes LeBron didn’t play in the first half, the HEAT didn’t score.

Rough Night: Klay Thompson

In Miami, Thompson scorched Miami from deep and scored 27 points. In this game, he scored only 2 points, being guarded by LeBron ost of his time on the court.

Stat of the Game: 20,000 and 5,000

A Milestone night for LeBron James.

Next Up:

The HEAT finish their six game road trip in L.A. against the Lakers. The game is Thursday, 10:30 PM EST and can be seen on TNT.