The HEAT gave fans something special to look forward to this season during Friday's home opener. Dwyane Wade (20 points) was electrifying, Shawn Marion (four steals, three blocks) was all over the floor and Michael Beasley (17 points, nine rebounds) looked like a star
in the making in Miami's 103-77 victory over visiting Sacramento.
Dwyane Wade led with 26 points and seven assists, but the HEAT lost a 20-point lead in the second half of Sunday's 120-109 road loss to the Kings to wrap up their three-game West Coast road trip. Miami led 69-49 at the half, but could not maintain the lead after surrendering 41 points in the third quarter.
A 25-4 third-quarter run in which the HEAT did not allow a basket for 9 1/2 minutes paved the way for Tuesday's 107-86 home win over the Kings. Shawn Marion scored 24 points to lead seven players in double figures for Miami, which ended its skid by
beating Sacramento for the eighth straight time.
Shaquille O'Neal led a balanced attack with 23 points to guide the HEAT to their 14th straight home win, four shy of a franchise record, and ninth consecutive overall with Friday's 103-97 triumph over the Kings. Eddie Jones and Jason Williams each scored 19 for Miami, which tied Washington for first place in the Southeast Division. James Posey chipped in with 16 points and a season-high 11 rebounds.
Dwyane Wade nearly had a triple-double with 32 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for Miami, which won its fifth straight at Arco Arena and sixth in a row overall against Sacramento on Thursday, 93-91. Gary Payton added 11 points for the HEAT, who will face Denver on Friday at 10:30 p.m.
Miami turned a slim five-point lead after three quarters into a 119-99 rout of Sacramento on Sunday. Shaquille O'Neal put in a vintage performance with 27 points on an efficient 11-of-15 shooting, helping the HEAT to a 70-32 scoring advantage in the paint. Dwyane Wade added 22 and seven assists, while Jason Williams notched 19 and 11 against his former team.
The HEAT swept the season-series with the Kings with a 104-83 win in Miami. Dwyane Wade
started the night off right, scoring 11 of his 22 points in the first quarter. The HEAT picked up speed in the second quarter, ending the half with a 48-
41 lead. In the third quarter, the HEAT pulled ahead, ending the period with a 12-point lead. Damon Jones led the team with 12 third quarter points.
Miami ended strong in the fourth, outscoring the Kings, 26-17. The HEAT finished the night with 40 points in the paint and Shaquille O’Neal ended up
with 18 points and 7 rebounds. Udonis Haslem recorded a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Eddie Jones pitched in 17 points, which
included a 5-for-5 performance from three-point range. Sacramento was led by Mike Bibby’s 22 points.
Shaquille O’Neal returned to the starting lineup to help the HEAT win their 10th consecutive
victory. Sacramento jumped out to an early lead, going ahead by as many as 17 points in the first half, but the HEAT responded with a 21-11 run to
cut the Kings’ deficit to just five points going into halftime. The Kings increased their lead to nine points early in the third before the HEAT went on an
11-0 run and found themselves ahead by four points, holding Sacramento scoreless for over three minutes. The Kings finished the quarter on an 8-2
run to regain the lead going into the fourth. Sacramento continued their surge in the final period, taking a 12 point lead with 5:16 left to play. But
Miami staged a comeback, going on a 13-1 run to tie the score at 102-102, with 1:30 left to play. Sacramento was able to take a one point lead after
a Peja Stojakovic three pointer, but Damon Jones responded with a three of his own to give the HEAT a two point advantage. Mike Bibby tried to tie
the game on a driving lay-up with 2 seconds left, but Shaquille O’Neal blocked the shot to seal the Miami win. O’Neal recorded a double-double with
25 points and 10 rebounds. Dwyane Wade also recorded a double-double with 22 points and 10 assists. Eddie Jones and Damon Jones pitched in
21 and 18 points, respectively, and Udonis Haslem grabbed 12 rebounds. Sacramento was led by Chris Webber’s 26 points.
Lamar Odom recorded his eighth triple-double of his career in a 102-96 win against the visiting Sacramento Kings. Odom’s triple-double was only the fourth for the Miami HEAT in franchise history. Of the eight triple-doubles Lamar has posted, this was his best as he scored 30 points, grabbed 19 rebounds, and dished out 11 assists. Rafer Alston contributed 20 points making it the first time in his career that he has dropped 20 points in back-to-back games. The HEAT bench was also on fire getting 17 points a piece from both Rasual Butler and Udonis Haslem.
Bibby’s three-pointer with 18 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter secured a 90-86 Sacramento victory over the HEAT on Tuesday night in the team’s third game over the last five days. Miami trailed by as many as 18 points late in the third quarter and twice closed to within two points in the closing minutes; once at 79-79 and the other at 81-81. Peja Stojakovic led the Kings with 24 points, followed by Bibby’s 20 points, Brad Miller’s 14 points and Vlade Divac’s 12 points. Sacramento shot 48.5 percent from the field, connecting on 32-of-66 shot attempts, including nine three-pointers. Miami was led in the game by Lamar Odom’s 21 points and 12 rebounds, his fifth consecutive double-double in as many games.
Five Sacramento Kings players reached double-figures on Sunday, led by guard Mike Bibby’s 22 points, as
the HEAT fell on the road 96-70 at Arco Arena. Former HEAT player Jimmy Jackson scored 14 points, followed by 12 points by Keon Clark and 11 points each from Peja Stojakovic and Vlade Divac. Divac added 12 rebounds while Clark pulled down 11 rebounds with eight blocked shots. Miami, who played without shooting guard Eddie Jones and Travis Best, shot a dismal 29.8 percent from the field on 28-of-94 attempts. Jones suffered a sprained ankle in Friday’s game versus New Jersey. Best sprained his ankle two minutes into the Atlanta game on Jan. 1st. Rookie swing-man Caron Butler scored 16 points while Eddie House, making his first start of the season, chipped in with 15 points. Brian Grant pulled down 12 rebounds to go with his eight points.
Eddie Jones scored 16 points and led four other HEAT players in double-figures, as Miami beat the Sacramento
Kings 88-78 for the team’s first win of the 2002-03 season. Jones connected on 5-of-16 from the field, including two three-pointers, as the HEAT improved to 1-2 on the season. In addition to Jones, Malik Allen (15 points), Caron Butler (13 points), Brian Grant (10 points) and Travis Best (10 points) rounded out the double-figure scorers for the HEAT. Vladimir Stepania and Mike James chipped in with eight points each off the bench, while
Grant added his 50th double-double of his HEAT career with 14 rebounds. Holding a three-point lead early in the fourth quarter, Miami scored 12 straight points, including consecutive three-pointers by James and a jump shot by Rasual Butler to extend the HEAT lead to 80-65 with 5:35 left to play. Sacramento would not get any closer than the final outcome. Keon Clark led the Kings with 19 points, followed by Vlade Divac with 14 points.
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