The Miami HEAT defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 114-96 Saturday night at Wells Fargo Center. Chris Bosh led the way for the HEAT with 30 points and eight rebounds.
Impact Performance of the Night: Chris Bosh continued his hot start to the season on Saturday night. Bosh mixed it up with some nifty moves inside and sweet jumpers from the elbow to the tune of 30 points on 9-of-17 shooting. He also nailed two 3-pointers in what was another excellent performance.
Mario Chalmers also had a solid game, especially in the fourth quarter. Chalmers scored 11 of his 20 points in the final quarter and came away with four steals on the night. He has really done well in his new role off the bench for Miami and that’s a great sign for HEAT fans.
The Deciding Run: Miami went on a 12-4 run in the fourth quarter to go up 99-87 with about six minutes to go in the game. Mario Chalmers really started to catch fire during the run and kept the HEAT moving in the right direction. Miami would continue to build upon that lead and close out the game.
Earlier, the HEAT went on a 14-4 run to go up 66-56 with just under 10 minutes to play in the third quarter. Shawne Williams found the range throughout the run.
Play of the Game: With 11:25 to go in the second quarter, Napier brought the ball up in transition and backed down his defender at the left elbow. He then fired a gorgeous bounce pass to Mario Chalmers, who got free with a back-door cut from the right wing. Chalmers finished the easy layup to put the HEAT up 36-30.
With 3:09 to go in the first quarter, Chris Bosh drove inside from the left wing. He then hit Brandon Davies with a spin move followed by an up-and-under move which allowed him to finish the beautiful sky-hook that put Miami up 21-20.
Efficiency Rating: Offensive Efficiency: 110.9; Defensive Efficiency: 96.5
Trend to Watch: For the second-consecutive game, Luol Deng came out very aggressive from the start. Deng primarily took it to the hoop on Saturday night, but he also converted on a few shots from the perimeter. In all, Deng scored 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting. He also grabbed four boards, dished out two assists and had two steals.
The Takeaway: As expected, the 76ers came out with a lot of energy in their home opener. However, Miami did a good job of keeping its composure and matching Philadelphia’s intensity. Both Norris Cole and Josh McRoberts played pretty well towards the end of the third quarter and gave the HEAT a four point lead entering the final quarter. Mario Chalmers took it from there and led the charge in the fourth quarter, as he was a spark plug for the HEAT.
Thanks to great defense, Miami held Philadelphia to just 13 points in the fourth quarter and forced the 76ers to commit 25 turnovers in all.
Notes: Josh McRoberts made his first appearance in a HEAT uniform. In his 11 minutes of play, McRoberts played solid defense in the post. While it won’t show up in the box score, he also showed his play-making ability with some nice passes in the third quarter. In all, McRoberts had three points and three rebounds.
Game Highlights: