Heat-Warriors Preview

By BRETT HUSTON
Posted Jan 09 2012 10:55PM

The Miami Heat have made it through the past three games without Dwyane Wade, maintaining their status as the NBA's top team through the season's opening weeks.

Though the Heat haven't come out and said so, they might have to get used to the idea of playing without Wade.

Although he's officially listed as questionable for Tuesday night's road visit with the Golden State Warriors, Wade may have a case of plantar fasciitis in his bruised left foot that would potentially sideline him for much longer.

Both Wade and LeBron James have missed time with what initially appeared to be minor bumps and bruises as the Heat (8-1) have cruised to a fantastic start, but while James' sprained left ankle appears to be improving, Wade's foot may not be.

James returned after missing Thursday's 116-109 triple-overtime win at Atlanta to score 32 points in Saturday's 101-90 victory in New Jersey, but Wade missed his third straight contest.

Wade still hasn't returned to practice and is officially questionable for the remaining three contests of a five-game road trip, but a bigger issue arose Tuesday. Neither coach Erik Spoelstra nor the former finals MVP himself would deny that Wade was suffering from plantar fasciitis, a painful injury that can require weeks of rest to heal.

Golden State (2-6) had better hope Wade's injury requires at least one more day of rest. Wade has averaged 33.0 points and 9.5 assists while leading the Heat to six straight victories in the series, including 34 points during a 106-84 rout in Oakland on Dec. 10, 2010.

James, who added 25 in that victory, hasn't seemed fazed by Wade's absence or his ankle. He had 33 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds in a 118-83 rout of Indiana on Wednesday before scoring 22 first-quarter points against the Nets.

"If I feel like I'm good to go, then I'm going to go out and play my game," James said. "I'm not going to give no restriction, just try to do the things I do out on the court and I was able to get a couple of breakaways, some easy points, get to the free throw line and I was able to test the ankle out in the first quarter."

While James' left ankle appears to be OK, the Warriors have plenty of reason to be concerned about Stephen Curry's surgically repaired right ankle. The third-year guard has missed the team's past two games with a sprain and will miss at least two more as he's currently on the East Coast undergoing further evaluation.

Golden State could certainly use him. After averaging 103.4 points last season, the Warriors are scoring just 89.9 per game thus far and have lost six in a row after falling 88-87 to Utah on Saturday.

"The great teams think, `What's going to happen now to win this game?"' first-year coach Mark Jackson said. "The teams that have a history of losing think, `What's going to happen that's been happening that's going to cause us to lose?'"

Monta Ellis has averaged 29.3 points in his last three games, but he's averaged just 19.3 in six career starts against Miami.

Center Andris Biedrins, dealing with a right ankle injury that's kept him out of the past two games, didn't practice Monday and is listed as day to day.

Wright leads Warriors past Heat 111-106 in OT

By ANTONIO GONZALEZ
Posted Jan 11 2012 3:53AM

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Dorell Wright had been off to a quiet start this season, reverting to the form that forced the Miami Heat to part ways with the forward and land LeBron James in July 2010.

A visit from his former franchise provided the spark the Golden State Warriors have been waiting for.

Wright scored 20 points and made a season-high six 3-pointers, including a tying shot late in regulation, and the short-handed Warriors rallied from 17 down to spoil Dwyane Wade's return with a 111-106 overtime victory on Tuesday night.

"I had a feeling tonight would be the night," Wright said. "It couldn't have gotten any worse."

The former Miami forward also converted a go-ahead 3-pointer in the extra period, ending Golden State's five-game losing streak and giving rookie coach Mark Jackson his most impressive victory. Wright, who spent six years in Miami after being drafted 19th overall out of high school in 2004, added 10 rebounds.

"Heck yeah I care, I was there six years," he said. "It's your old team, you want to beat them."

Wright beat back one of his best buddies in the process.

Wade scored a season-high 34 points after missing the last three games with a bruised left foot, but missed shots late in regulation and overtime. James had 26 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists before missing a potential tying 3-pointer in the final seconds of overtime.

With Miami's three-game winning streak over, Wade sounded adamant that he wants to play Wednesday night at the Los Angeles Clippers and quickly brush off this swift and stunning defeat.

"I did feel like I had a layoff but it was good to get back on the court," Wade said. "I just tried to be aggressive early. That's the only way you're going to know how you're feeling. Just came out with an aggressive mindset."

The NBA's first-place team seemed to be in control with a flurry of dunks, alley-oops and high-flying layups for most of the night.

The Heat clamped down on defense and broke away with a 21-8 run to open the third quarter, relying on the Big Three to provide the highlights: Wade flipped a pass that Chris Bosh finished with a one-handed scoop, James had a soaring finger roll and Wade flicked a spinning layup past a crowd of defenders to push Miami ahead 78-61.

All of Miami's positive vibes evaporated almost as quickly.

Nate Robinson ignited the Warriors with a 3-pointer followed by a layup late in the fourth quarter, finishing with 24 points off the bench. Udonis Haslem picked up a technical foul on the play, and Robinson's free throw tied the score at 93.

Wade made two from the stripe to extend the Heat's lead to 96-93 before Wright evened the score with a 3-pointer with 31 seconds left in regulation.

Wade missed a jump shot, and the Warriors called timeout before they botched the final possession: Monta Ellis dribbled around too long and time ran out when he passed to Wright, the glaring mistake on a night he scored 22 points, although he also had nine turnovers.

Golden State began to pull away from a tight overtime, going ahead 105-104 on Wright's 3-pointer with 86 seconds remaining. Robinson also intercepted Wade's pass on Miami's next possession, throwing it ahead to Wright for an uncontested dunk.

"I just knew today was going to be the day," Ellis said of Wright. "And it's not because we were playing Miami. I knew his body was going to be better. We have a secret weapon."

In a final attempt to even the score, James took a difficult 3-pointer with 7.9 seconds to play. The Warriors recovered and Robinson made a pair of free throws to seal Golden State's stunning victory.

"We got a couple good looks and they just didn't go through," James said.

The Warriors played without injured starters Stephen Curry and Andris Biedrins for the third game in a row. Curry is not expected back for at least a week - and probably longer - while he rehabs in Charlotte.

"I thought there was a point tonight, just like in life, where you can fold the tent or you can begin to believe and fight back," said Jackson, whose team is 3-6 but has beaten playoff contenders Chicago, New York and Miami. "And we did that. And once you begin to do that, good things happen. Great for my guys, because the bottom line is; you need results, in order to trust the system."

Wade and James didn't take long to regain their rhythm.

They just couldn't sustain it.

On Miami's second possession of the game, Wade raced up court and tossed a high-arching lob pass from the 3-point line just over the leaping hands of rookie Charles Jenkins. James sprinted from behind and finished above the rim, throwing down a powerful two-hand slam that drew roars even from the home crowd.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra limited Wade's minutes somewhat, but for the most part the slashing swingman played in his usual rotation - mostly because Miami couldn't put the Warriors away earlier.

The more athletic and aggressive Heat took advantage of Golden State's slow-footed transition defense, which has been an emphasis since Jackson took over. Miami outshot Golden State 51 to 42 percent in the first half, taking a 57-53 lead at the break.

The Warriors went almost 10 minutes before their first field goal of the second half.

Notes: Warriors backup C Kwame Brown left in the fourth quarter with a right shoulder injury. He is day to day. .... Oracle CEO Larry Ellison sat courtside in the arena that houses his company's name. Ellison was outbid for the Warriors franchise last year by an ownership group headed by Joe Lacob, sitting about 10 seats away, and Peter Guber. ... New Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie also sat in a courtside seat.

Notebook: Warriors 111, Heat 106

By Geoff Lepper, for NBA.com
Posted Wednesday January 11, 2012 2:43AM

THE FACTS: Nate Robinson came off the bench to score 24 points, 17 in the fourth quarter and overtime, and the Golden State Warriors erased a 17-point deficit over the final 13:15 of regulation to beat the Miami Heat 111-106, Tuesday night. Warriors forward Dorell Wright broke out of a season-long slump to score 20 points, eight in OT, and grabbed 10 rebounds against his former team. David Lee added his fourth consecutive double-double with 20 points, 14 boards, four steals and three assists as Golden State snapped a five-game losing streak. Dwyane Wade had a season-high 34 points, six rebounds and four steals in his return from a three-game absence due to an injured left foot, but he couldn't prevent the Heat from suffering only their second loss of the season.

QUOTABLE: "At this point, we're not in any position to fold up shop. We're just going to keep on fighting. We have no choice. We have a coaching staff that holds us accountable and we have a lot of players with a lot of pride."
-- David Lee, on Golden State's comeback

THE STAT: The Heat seemed to be cruising to a 9-1 start and a 3-0 mark on their five-game road trip, but a hideous, 12-point fourth quarter scrambled that beyond recognition. Miami shot 2-for-17 in the period, with five turnovers and no assists, as the Heat's offense coagulated into an endless parade of one-on-one pull-ups. Perhaps most surprising: the Warriors didn't even have to resort to their zone, instead beating the Heat with straight up man defending.

TURNING POINT: Wright had only five 3-pointers on the entire season coming into Tuesday, but he dropped six on the Heat. The last was also the biggest; Brandon Rush swung a pass from the left corner to Wright along the wing, where he calmly drained a trey to put Golden State up 105-104 with 1:26 left in OT. Robinson stole a poorly conceived one-armed pass from LeBron James on the following possession, then flung the ball clear so Wright could chase it down for an uncontested dunk.

HOT: Recently signed Robinson missed all six of his field-goal attempts in the final three quarters, but cemented his status as an Oracle fan favorite by unleashing a 15-point fourth quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers and a tying free throw on Udonis Haslem's ridiculously ill-timed technical foul with 1:44 left in regulation.

QUOTABLE II: "It was great to see Nate Robinson, who people questioned and doubted, [succeed]. I didn't know what he was when he was on other teams. And I understood the question marks. But I know he's a fighter. And I know he's a competitor. And, no pun intended, I know he's a Warrior. And the guy left it on the floor. Thank God for second chances."
-- Warriors coach Mark Jackson

NOT: Monta Ellis had 22 points for the Warriors, but an otherwise poor night, shooting 9-for-25, committing nine turnovers and failing to even get a shot off at the end of regulation after milking the clock down from 13 seconds.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: James had 26 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, but turned the ball over five times and disappeared in the fourth quarter and OT, when he had a mere three points and three assists.

ROOKIE WATCH: Heat point guard Norris Cole helped cool down Ellis after the Warrior star scored eight points in the opening quarter, and went on to put up six points and three assists in 23 minutes

INSIDE THE ARENA: Larry Ellison, the Oracle billionaire whose bid for the Warriors lost out to that of new owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, was on hand courtside, 11 seats down from Lacob. . . . Reggie McKenzie, the new general manager for the Oakland Raiders, was also courtside, fresh off of firing first-year Raiders coach Hue Jackson.

NOTABLE: Warriors center Kwame Brown left the game midway through the fourth quarter with a possibly dislocated right shoulder. The team said he would be examined Wednesday to determine the extent of damage suffered when Brown bear-hugged Haslem. . . . Brown's status becomes more important because starting center Andris Biedrins (sprained right ankle/toe) was absent from the Warriors' lineup for a third consecutive game. . . . Eddy Curry (hip flexor) and Mike Miller (hernia surgery) did not suit up for the Heat. . . . This was Miami's first loss on the road, after five victories. . . . Miami missed 14 of 40 free-throw attempts, including four each by Wade and Chris Bosh. . . . Golden State cracked triple digits for the first time all year, although it did take overtime to do it.

UP NEXT: For the Warriors, Thursday vs. Orlando, Saturday @ Charlotte, Sunday @ Detroit. For the Heat, Wednesday @ Clippers, Friday @ Denver, Tuesday vs. San Antonio.

• Heat: Curry, Miller
• Warriors: Biedrins, Curry

• Heat: Haslem
• Warriors: --

• Lead Changes: 11
• Times Tied: 9

• Arena: ORACLE Arena, Oakland, CA
• Officials: #9 Derrick Stafford, #31 Scott Wall, #54 Nick Buchert
• Attendance: 19596
• Duration: 2:47