Associated Press MIAMI — The New York Knicks, they were all about the 3’s. The Miami Heat, they welcomed back No. 3. ADVERTISING Advantage, Heat. LeBron James scored 31 points, Dwyane Wade — he of that No. 3 jersey —
Associated Press
MIAMI — The New York Knicks, they were all about the 3’s. The Miami Heat, they welcomed back No. 3.
Advantage, Heat.
LeBron James scored 31 points, Dwyane Wade — he of that No. 3 jersey — scored 28 in his return from a sprained right ankle, and the Heat topped the 3-point-obsessed Knicks 99-89 on Friday night. Chris Bosh scored 13 points and James finished with eight rebounds and seven assists for Miami, which plays host to Chicago on Sunday in a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference finals.
“Real nice to be back,” Wade said. “Felt great. Felt great.”
Bill Walker scored 21 points for New York, which took 43 shots from 3-point range, the most in the NBA this season and a total that had the Knicks flirting with Dallas’ NBA record of 49 set in 1996. The Knicks connected on 18 from beyond the arc, Walker making seven of them.
Toney Douglas scored 16 points, Landry Fields had 14 and Amare Stoudemire finished with 12 for New York, which tried more 3’s than 2-point shots (41).
“We shot a lot of 3’s, but we did hit a bunch of them, which kept us in there,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We just couldn’t sustain it all the way through. Give them credit, they’re good.”
Wade shot 11 for 19 from the field in his return, after missing six games with the ankle issue, plus putting up five steals, four assists and two blocks. The Heat — who have won eight of nine games without Wade so far this season — were outscored 54-6 from 3-point range, but held the Knicks to 36 percent shooting and only 18 points in the final quarter.
“It’s a nice welcome back for that young kid, No. 3,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
So while the Heat were healthier, the Knicks were ailing. New York played without Carmelo Anthony, who expects to miss at least two games while dealing with ankle, thumb and wrist problems. D’Antoni said Anthony would not return before Tuesday, so barring a change of plans that would rule him out of New York’s game at Houston on Saturday.
“This was a game for us to win,” Knicks center Tyson Chandler said. “We were right there. Just down the stretch they changed their coverages. We had them. … It was open and our game for the taking, but obviously they were the better team.”
Wade and James went on a highlight display in the first quarter, setting each other up for dunks in the opening minutes and combining for five slams in Miami’s first seven field goals. Wade showed no rust from his layoff, scoring eight points in the first nine minutes.
Miami went to the rim. The Knicks stayed outside — way outside.
D’Antoni said before the game that the Knicks simply had to manufacture more offense. Hence, the game plan — shoot 3’s, and shoot them in bunches.
Of New York’s first 33 shots, 19 were from 3-point range. That’s right: The Knicks had exactly two 2-pointers in the first 15-plus minutes. Over a stretch of nearly 6 minutes in the first half, the Knicks had 13 consecutive 3-point attempts, nothing inside the arc.
Desperate times, desperate measures, perhaps.
By halftime, the Knicks had tried 23 from long range — the most in the NBA this season and the most ever in a first half against Miami.
“We treated everybody as Ray Allen,” Spoelstra said, referring to the Boston guard who is widely considered the league’s best spot-up 3-point shooter. “That’s what we kept on saying. That is Ray Allen out there. That’s how they had to be treated, with that kind of respect. Make them put it on the floor.”
Walker’s season high had been 15 points. He got there early in the third quarter on Friday, part of a wild personal burst in which he scored nine points in 69 seconds to give the Knicks a 62-58 lead. He connected on three 3-pointers, banking in the last one from 27 feet, talking animatedly to no one in particular after each one.
The Knicks were so committed to the 3-pointer that on one possession midway through the second half, the 7-foot Chandler had the 6-foot-4 Wade posted up, and kicked the ball to Walker for a corner 3 anyway. A few moments later, Chandler had Wade alone in the post again, no one else within about 3 feet of them, and still didn’t get the ball for what likely would have been an easy score or at least trip to the foul line.
By the time the Heat made their first 3-pointer of the night late in the third quarter, New York had made 14 — a surreal 42-point discrepancy.
New York simply had no answer for Wade and James.
“I felt good enough,” Wade said.
Wade missed in the lane with 7 minutes left, but tipped in his own rebound for a seven-point lead, then Miami’s largest of the night. About 2 minutes later, Bosh got the ball to James in transition as Wade called for a lob — which James perfectly provided for a two-handed dunk and an 88-79 edge that left the Heat firmly in control.
“If he’s putting on a uniform,” James said, “I expect greatness out of him.”
HAWKS 107,
PISTONS 101, OT
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Joe Johnson scored 28 of his 30 points after halftime, including a tying 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds left in regulation, and the Hawks beat the Pistons.
BULLS 107, BUCKS 100
CHICAGO — Derrick Rose scored a season-high 34 points to lead the Bulls to a win over the Bucks.
TIMBERWOLVES 87,
SPURS 79
MINNEAPOLIS — Ricky Rubio scored nine of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and dished out 10 assists to lift the Timberwolves to a victory over the Spurs.
CELTICS 94, PACERS 87
BOSTON — Paul Pierce scored 17 of his 28 points in the third quarter, hitting a 3-pointer and two more baskets as the Celtics ran off 11 consecutive points to pull away and beat the Pacers.
NETS 99, CAVALIERS 96
CLEVELAND — Deron Williams scored 27 points and the New Jersey Nets won consecutive games for the first time this season with a victory over the Cavaliers.
76ERS 89, BOBCATS 72
PHILADELPHIA — Lou Williams scored 17 points and Jrue Holiday had 15 to help the 76ers beat the Bobcats.
ROCKETS 103,
WIZARDS 76
HOUSTON — Chase Budinger scored a season-high 21 points and Luis Scola added 19 points to help the Rockets.
HORNETS 93, MAGIC 67
NEW ORLEANS — Carl Landry scored 17 points and the New Orleans Hornets snapped a nine-game losing streak with a victory over the Magic.
NUGGETS 96,
RAPTORS 81
DENVER — Rudy Fernandez scored a season-high 23 in his return from a sore Achilles as the Nuggets beat the short-handed Raptors.
MAVERICKS 116, JAZZ 101
DALLAS — Roddy Beaubois had a season-high 22 points and Lamar Odom added 19 points, his most since joining the Mavericks at the start of the season, to lead Dallas.
TRAIL BLAZERS 109,
SUNS 71
PORTLAND, Ore. — LaMarcus Aldridge had 23 points and seven rebounds and the Trail Blazers blew out the Suns for their sixth straight win at home.
THUNDER 120,
WARRIORS 109
OAKLAND, Calif. — Kevin Durant had 37 points and 14 rebounds, Russell Westbrook dazzled with 28 points and 11 assists and the NBA-leading Thunder started a critical road stretch with a victory over the Warriors.
