The Miami HEAT snapped their two-game skid with a dominating 103-82 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The HEAT made big runs in the second and third quarters to pull away from the Timberwolves and put the game away.
Impact Performance of the Night: LeBron James was dominant for the Miami HEAT, finishing with 21 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. James was great on the glass, finding extra baskets for the HEAT with a pair of tip-ins from around the basket. James went 9-of-12 from the floor with all nine of his makes coming inside the paint. It was another excellent performance from James when the HEAT needed it. James vowed to work harder on the glass and it was quite evident that he meant business.
The Deciding Run: Miami rushed out to a big lead in the first half, but the Timberwolves wouldn’t go away in the third quarter. They mounted a run to cut the HEAT lead to just five with 6:24 left in the period. After a timeout, the HEAT blew the doors off of the Timberwolves, going on a 21-4 run over the next seven minutes of so. Minnesota couldn’t handle Miami as the HEAT converted layup after layup. The ultimate result was a blowout victory and rest for the HEAT starters. Play of the Game: Dwyane Wade and LeBron James connected for an alley oop off the glass in the third quarter. There really isn’t much to add. It was spectacular.Efficiency Rating: Offensive Efficiency: 103.7; Defensive Efficiency: 81.1 Trend to Watch: The HEAT offense that we’ve grown accustomed to returned. With Dwyane Wade back in the lineup, the HEAT were able to attack the paint against the Timberwolves. Miami scored 56 points in the paint and another 13 at the free throw line. Wade executed a number of well-timed cuts to the rim to score easy buckets. Ball movement was excellent for most of the night as the HEAT picked apart the Timberwolves defense. With two tough road games left on this trip, it’s imperative that the HEAT keep the movement up. When they’re attacking the rim from all angles, they’re hard to stop.The Takeaway: This was exactly what the HEAT needed. They dominated Minnesota from the second quarter on, getting whatever they wanted on the offensive end. After a few games with a below average offensive output, the HEAT looked much more comfortable. If a few threes had fallen, the score would have been even more lopsided. Defensively, the HEAT were excellent. Minnesota is a good offense with a lot of different weapons. Miami wouldn’t let them get going at all. The HEAT created a lot of turnovers and blocked eight shots. Miami was swarming once they got into their rhythm. When that happened, Minnesota had no chance. Notes: Dwyane Wade finished with 19 points, five rebounds and four assists. Ray Allen scored 11 points off the bench. Chris Bosh added eight points and nine rebounds.