Bobcats-Heat Preview

By JORDAN GARRETSON
Posted Feb 03 2013 9:42PM

After spending plenty of time on the road the last few weeks, the Miami Heat will likely be happy to return home on Monday.

That's when they will open a five-game homestand against the slumping Charlotte Bobcats, who will try to end a three-game losing streak after dealing with a scary injury in its last defeat.

Miami, which already defeated Charlotte 105-92 on Dec. 26, has won eight of its last nine games at AmericanAirlines Arena, where it's 18-3 on the season.

The Heat (30-14) played 10 of their last 12 on the road, however, finishing that stretch 7-5 after a 100-85 win at Toronto on Sunday. That victory guaranteed possession of the East's best record as of Feb. 3, meaning Erik Spoelstra and his staff will coach the East squad in the All-Star Game in Houston in two weeks.

In Spoelstra's starting lineup will be LeBron James, who had 30 points on Sunday, and Dwyane Wade, who added 23.

"You don't spend any time thinking about it as it's happening, you're just trying to prepare your team and make sure you have the best record," Spoelstra said. "Now that it happened, it's cool. We'll make the most of it. Our staff is thrilled about it."

Chris Bosh - a reserve selection for the All-Star team - had 28 points on Sunday against his former team. Bosh wasn't as efficient in his previous seven games, averaging 12.7 points on 44.9 percent shooting before going 12 of 19 from the field against Toronto.

Bosh's 54.3 field-goal percentage this season is a career high, though, surpassing his previous mark of 51.8 percent during his final season with the Raptors in 2009-10.

"Chris really gave us a presence in the paint," Spoelstra said. " ... He was collapsing the defense with his rolls to the rim, catching it and going up strong in traffic. That makes us a different team when he gives us that presence."

The Bobcats (11-35) have lost 11 of 13 but had more reasons to be worried on Saturday besides a 109-95 road loss against the Rockets.

Rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was hospitalized in Houston for the night after suffering a concussion. His head collided with teammate Jeff Taylor's hip when Gilchrist took to the air to defend a layup while Taylor jumped for a rebound in the fourth quarter. He left the court on a stretcher, and X-rays and a CT scan taken later were negative.

Charlotte trailed by one when the play took place, and was outscored 28-15 from there.

"We can throw out any excuse we want," coach Mike Dunlap said. "We know it's difficult. They're humans and they care about their teammate, but the other team had a stoppage as well."

Ramon Sessions is riding a hot streak, scoring 20 or more points in four of his last five games.

Wade scored a game-high 29 points in the first meeting while James had 27, 12 rebounds and eight assists. Kemba Walker tallied 27 points for the Bobcats.

James scores 31, Bosh adds 23 as Heat beat Bobcats

Posted Feb 05 2013 12:02AM

MIAMI (AP) LeBron James enjoyed a career-best shooting night to help the Miami Heat keep up their dominance at home.

James scored 31 points on 13-of-14 shooting to lead Miami past Charlotte 99-94 Monday night, giving the Heat their 10th consecutive victory against the Bobcats.

According to STATS, James' effort tied for the league's third-best shooting performance with at least that many attempts in the last 18 years. Shaquille O'Neal was 15 for 16 for the Heat against Seattle on Feb. 25, 2006, and Dwight Howard was 14 for 15 for Orlando against Philadelphia on April 14, 2007.

"I didn't plan it that way, I was just attacking when I could, got into the paint and was able to make some shots," said James, who made nine shots from 2 feet or closer.

Chris Bosh added 23 points and Dwyane Wade had 20 points and a season-high 12 rebounds for Miami, which has won nine of its last 10 at home. The Heat improved to 19-3 on their home floor.

"I got a lot of my own misses, too. I was missing a lot of chippies, but I was just trying to be aggressive," said Wade, who tied his career-high with six offensive boards. "When your shots aren't falling you have to find some way to affect the basketball game and give your team a chance to win."

Ramon Sessions scored 18 points for Charlotte, which lost its fourth in a row and 12th in the last 14. Ben Gordon had 16 points as six Bobcats players scored in double digits.

Neither team shot well from on 3-pointers as Miami was 1 for 12 and Charlotte 8 of 25.

James said he "felt a little sleepy" but "didn't feel tired" when he arrived at the arena. The Heat had returned to South Florida at around 3 a.m. Monday after watching the Super Bowl in Toronto following Sunday's win against the Raptors.

His only miss was a 4-foot jumper late in the third quarter.

"I got fouled on it, but that never stopped me before," James said.

James also finished with eight rebounds and eight assists. It was the 67th time in LeBron's career (including playoffs) that he's put up at least 31, 8 and 8, according to STATS.

"If he knows and feels he's close to a triple double, he doesn't let that affect his game," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "He's not going to be one of those guys that will throw it off the backboard and try to get a rebound."

The Bobcats scored nine straight points to take a 72-69 lead with 8:30 left. Miami countered with a 14-2 run - with James scoring six points - to go ahead 83-74 with 4:59 remaining.

Sessions made two free throws to pull the Bobcats to 89-87 with 1:38 left, but James passed to Bosh for a dunk to make it 91-87 with 1:13 on the clock.

Following a timeout, Kemba Walker missed a 3-pointer and James grabbed a rebound, then drove for a layup to give Miami a six-point lead with 37 seconds left. Charlotte got no closer than five points the rest of the way.

"They've been in those moments more than we we've had," Sessions said. "They made the plays and we couldn't make the stops we needed in the end."

Charlotte played without rookie small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who suffered a concussion against Houston on Saturday night. Kidd-Gilchrist will need to pass the NBA's post-concussion protocol before he'll be cleared to play.

NOTES: Charlotte's Byron Mullens had 12 points and nine rebounds in his return from an ankle injury that forced him to missing 19 games. "I'm still kind of concerned jumping off of it and getting hurt again.," he said, "but I just have to go out there and play with full confidence and not worry about it." ... Heat forward Shane Battier dunked for the first time in four years early in the second quarter. "I might release a DVD on that," he said. ... The Heat returned home to begin a five-game homestand after playing 10 of 12 on the road. ... James and Walker entered the game leading their respective team in scoring, assists and steals. The only other NBA players to lead their team in those categories were Golden State's Stephen Curry, Phoenix's Goran Dragic and Cleveland's Kyrie Irving.

Notebook: Heat 99, Bobcats 94

Zachary Paul, For NBA.com
Posted Mon Feb 04, 2013 10:49 PM - Updated Mon Feb 04, 2013 10:49 PM

THE FACTS: The Miami Heat defeated the Charlotte Bobcats 99-94 Monday at AmericanAirlines Arena. Forward LeBron James led the way with 31 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Center Chris Bosh had his second consecutive strong game, scoring 23 points on 11-for-18 shooting. Despite a poor shooting night, guard Dwyane Wade finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds.

The Heat (31-14) trailed 74-73 with 7:45 remaining before going on an 8-0 run to take control. Ramon Sessions led the Bobcats (11-36) with 18 points.

QUOTABLE: "We'll take it. Charlotte played tough and those guards, for a while it looked like we were playing in a [6-foot-4]-and-under league. They were able to really attack and really just spread the court but I thought our guys came back with a decent amount of energy."

--Heat coach Erik Spoelstra

THE STAT: The Heat held the Bobcats to just 42 percent shooting.

TURNING POINT: After playing nearly to a standstill, the Heat broke things open with the 8-0 run in the fourth quarter.

HOT: James shot 13-for-14 from the field, with most of his points coming on the interior. It was the most efficient shooting game of his career.

NOT: Wade was just 7-for-19 from the field, but was able to make up for it with his defense and rebounding. His six offensive rebounds were especially beneficial to the Heat.

GOOD MOVE: When in doubt, go to James. That has been the Heat's motto for most of the season. They turned to the reigning MVP for a second straight game to avoid falling to an inferior opponent.

BAD MOVE: The Bobcats at times settled for the 3-point shot. They made eight, but 25 attempts were just too many when guards Kemba Walker and Sessions were able to create their own shot against the Heat.

NOTABLE: It was the fifth time Wade, James and Bosh scored at least 20 points. ... Wade's 12 rebounds were a season-high. ... Bobcats' center Michael Kidd-Gilchrist did not play because of a concussion.

UP NEXT: For the Heat, Wednesday vs. Rockets, Friday vs. Clippers, Sunday vs. Lakers. For the Bobcats, Wednesday @ Cavs, Friday vs. Lakers, Saturday @ Sixers.

• Bobcats: Kidd-Gilchrist
• Heat: Pittman, Varnado

• Bobcats: Sessions, Taylor
• Heat: --

• Lead Changes: 9
• Times Tied: 5

• Arena: American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL
• Officials: #19 James Capers, #74 Curtis Blair, #36 David Jones
• Attendance: 19600
• Duration: 2:15