The Miami Heat (7–4) came away with an authoritative 123–96 win over the Phoenix Suns (6–5) on Wednesday night in Miami, with Chris Bosh having the best night of his short career in a Heat uniform, scoring 35 points.
“We moved the ball all night. I think everybody touched the ball constantly on the offensive end,” Bosh told ESPN after the game.
“On defense, we ran them off the threes and we didn’t let small runs discourage us. We’re going to have to keep this game in the back of our minds going into the next ones.”
The home court win came at a much-needed time for Miami, who were expected to be one of the dominant teams in the NBA. They currently sit fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Doubts have been swirling over the Heat’s ability to find their identity and play as a team while having perhaps the biggest concentration of talent in the league in LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Bosh.
James and Wade have both risen to their potential in games this season, breaking 30 points in a single game and averaging 22.3 points and 24.7 points respectively.
But Bosh had yet to really break his game open before Wednesday night, averaging just 14.5 points after averaging 22.3 points with the Toronto Raptors last season.
But on Wednesday, Bosh got his game started early, scoring from several spots inside the perimeter in the first quarter where he racked up an impressive 14 points.
The Heat and Suns traded baskets for much of the quarter with Phoenix getting all their starters on the board and trailing by only three points 27–24 to end the first.
But the second quarter was altogether a different story, with Miami quickly opening up a 10-point lead that grew to 21 points at the end with a score of 64–43.
Bosh added eight points in the second quarter and Wade also turned on his game with some athletic drives and monstrous dunks. Wade scored 12 points in the quarter after going scoreless in the first quarter.
“I know I haven’t been playing like I can; I’ve just been worrying too much,” Bosh said at halftime. “I’ve just got to go out there and play the way I know how to play and have fun,” Bosh said.
James contributed eight points in each quarter of the first half, and Miami dominated Phoenix on the boards, outrebounding the Suns 24–11 even without a dominating presence in the paint.
The Heat kept up their momentum in the third quarter, quickly increasing the lead to 25 before the Suns threatened a comeback at the command of veteran point guard Steve Nash.
Nash helped the Suns pull within 12 points nine minutes into the third quarter with a layup.
But Bosh single-handedly pulled the lead back up with seven consecutive points and after that and the Suns never could close in again. Phoenix matched Miami’s 23 points in the fourth quarter.
Wade finished the game with 17 points and James had 20. The Suns had all five starters hit double-digit scoring led by Nash with 17 points.
“We moved the ball all night. I think everybody touched the ball constantly on the offensive end,” Bosh told ESPN after the game.
“On defense, we ran them off the threes and we didn’t let small runs discourage us. We’re going to have to keep this game in the back of our minds going into the next ones.”
The home court win came at a much-needed time for Miami, who were expected to be one of the dominant teams in the NBA. They currently sit fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Doubts have been swirling over the Heat’s ability to find their identity and play as a team while having perhaps the biggest concentration of talent in the league in LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Bosh.
James and Wade have both risen to their potential in games this season, breaking 30 points in a single game and averaging 22.3 points and 24.7 points respectively.
But Bosh had yet to really break his game open before Wednesday night, averaging just 14.5 points after averaging 22.3 points with the Toronto Raptors last season.
But on Wednesday, Bosh got his game started early, scoring from several spots inside the perimeter in the first quarter where he racked up an impressive 14 points.
The Heat and Suns traded baskets for much of the quarter with Phoenix getting all their starters on the board and trailing by only three points 27–24 to end the first.
But the second quarter was altogether a different story, with Miami quickly opening up a 10-point lead that grew to 21 points at the end with a score of 64–43.
Bosh added eight points in the second quarter and Wade also turned on his game with some athletic drives and monstrous dunks. Wade scored 12 points in the quarter after going scoreless in the first quarter.
“I know I haven’t been playing like I can; I’ve just been worrying too much,” Bosh said at halftime. “I’ve just got to go out there and play the way I know how to play and have fun,” Bosh said.
James contributed eight points in each quarter of the first half, and Miami dominated Phoenix on the boards, outrebounding the Suns 24–11 even without a dominating presence in the paint.
The Heat kept up their momentum in the third quarter, quickly increasing the lead to 25 before the Suns threatened a comeback at the command of veteran point guard Steve Nash.
Nash helped the Suns pull within 12 points nine minutes into the third quarter with a layup.
But Bosh single-handedly pulled the lead back up with seven consecutive points and after that and the Suns never could close in again. Phoenix matched Miami’s 23 points in the fourth quarter.
Wade finished the game with 17 points and James had 20. The Suns had all five starters hit double-digit scoring led by Nash with 17 points.
