LeBron James scores 36 points in the Heat victory over the Suns.
Suns-Heat notebook
By Jerry Brown, for NBA.com
Posted Friday December 24, 2010 2:31AM
THE FACTS: Two outta three ain't bad -- especially when those two are LeBron James and Chris Bosh. With Dwyane Wade sitting out with a sore knee, the remainder of Miami's Big Three combined for 59 points on 24-for-39 shooting, 17 rebounds, six assists, five steals and more than enough to dispatch the cold-shooting Suns.
QUOTABLE: "Our No. 1 priority was to make an impact with our identity -- which is to defend and not necessarily try to have guys step up individually on the other side of the ball," -- Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, on holding the Suns to a season-low 83 points and using their defense to overcome Wade's absence.
THE STAT: The Suns, who lead the NBA in scoring this season, are now 0-9 when failing to reach 100 points in a game. In two games against Miami's top-ranked defense (91.2 points a game), the Suns averaged just 89.5 points.
TURNING POINT: The Suns jumped out to a quick 21-10 lead in the first quarter before the Heat answered with a 20-4 run to take the lead for good early in the second period, stretching their lead to as many as 14 and keeping Phoenix at arm's length the rest of the night.
QUOTABLE II: "They trapped me the whole game. Every time I went to the basket, they would over-rotate to me. My teammates were open and we got a lot of good shots. We shot 40 percent and most nights we shoot 50. If we shoot 50 percent in that game and we win it." -- Suns guard Steve Nash, who had 18 assists but just four points on 1-for-4 shooting Thursday.
INSIDE THE ARENA: James met up with boxing legend Muhammad Ali and posed for a picture with the champ, who made a special visit to the game. "I have (met him before). But it feels like the first time every time you get the opportunity to see him or shake hands with him," James said. "He's by far one of the top two greatest athletes to ever walk the face of the Earth. I think you could put (Michael) Jordan or whoever in there,"
NOTABLE: Jared Dudley has been a bright spot in the last two Suns games, both losses to elite teams. After scoring a career-high 27 points in Monday's loss at San Antonio, Dudley hit seven of 10 3-pointers on Thursday and took his career-best to 33 points, adding 12 rebounds and three steals in 42 minutes.
UP NEXT: For the Heat, Saturday @ the Los Angeles Lakers, Tuesday vs. the Knicks, and Wednesday @ Houston. For the Suns, Sunday @ the Los Angeles Clippers, Tuesday @ Wednesday vs. the 76ers and Friday, Dec. 31 vs. the Pistons.
chris bosh looks like a dinosaur.
NickJamesYang 1 month ago 2
@NickJamesYang Yeah! He looks like a T-Rex!! Ahahah :D
HeatTeo 1 month ago