National Basketball Association
Miami 100, Oklahoma City 96
When: 9:00 PM ET, Thursday, June 14, 2012
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Officials:
#25 Tony Brothers, #43 Dan Crawford, #49 Tom Washington
Attendance:
18203
By SportsDirect Inc.
HEAT 100, THUNDER 96: LeBron James poured in 32 points, including a pivotal jumper late in the fourth quarter as Miami fended off host Oklahoma City to even the NBA Finals at a game apiece.
With the Thunder nearly all the way back from a double-digit deficit, James hit a banked fadeaway jump shot with 1:25 left to extend the Miami lead to five. The Thunder couldn't convert at the other end, and Dwyane Wade found Chris Bosh for an uncontested dunk with 53 seconds remaining.
As they had done on several occasions earlier in the game, the Thunder roared back. Kevin Durant knocked down a layup and Russell Westbrook stole the ball on the next possession, connecting with Durant on an open 3-pointer that brought the Chesapeake Energy Center crowd to its feet with 37 seconds left.
Miami misfired at the other end, but Durant couldn't knock down a short jumper and James hauled in the rebound, knocking down a pair of free throws to put the game away.
Wade scored 24 points and Shane Battier added 17 for the Heat, who handed the Thunder their first home loss of the postseason.
Durant shook off game-long foul trouble to score 32 points while Westbrook finished with 27 points for the second straight night. James Harden overcame a rough first game with 21 points in a reserve role.
Game 3 is set for Sunday night in Miami.
Armed with a 12-point halftime lead, the Heat continued to press in the third quarter and were rewarded when Wade's driving layup with 7:22 remaining made it 67-52. Durant's transition basket with 3:53 left trimmed the deficit to single digits, but he was assessed his fourth foul on the Heat's next possession and was sent to the bench moments later as Oklahoma City went into the fourth down 78-67.
Durant earned his fifth foul on a Miami rebound just 90 seconds into the final frame, but head coach Scott Brooks left the three-time scoring champion in the game - and the move paid immediate dividends. He knocked down a long 3-pointer and followed it up with a sensational driving dunk to make it an eight-point game with 8:22 left.
A tough Westbrook layup as part of a three-point play cut the Miami lead to four, but Battier answered with a banked 3-pointer - his fifth of the night - to stretch it back to seven. Westbrook responded with a driving layup and a dunk as the Thunder closed it to 94-91 with 1:47 remaining.
Bosh added 16 points and 15 rebounds in the victory, just the third for James in 12 career Finals games.
The Thunder came out ice-cold, missing 11 of their first 12 shots to find themselves in an early 18-2 hole. Things worsened for Oklahoma City with 3:40 remaining as Durant picked up his second foul, forcing him out of the game.
The Heat continued pouring it on with Durant on the bench, extending the advantage to 17 on a Wade mid-range jumper. Wade and James combined for 15 first-quarter points - 10 more than Durant and Westbrook - as Miami enjoyed a 27-15 lead after one.
James picked up his second foul of the night early in the second period, forcing him to the bench. The Thunder used his absence to trim the deficit to 10 on a Harden layup - his 13th and 14th points of the night.
A James layup inside three minutes put the Heat up 48-34, and Mario Chalmers knocked down a 3-pointer on the next possession to help Miami equal its largest lead of the half. Harden countered with a wide-open 3-pointer with 42 seconds left, giving him a game-high 17 points as the Thunder trailed 55-43 entering the break.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Miami used a starting lineup of Chalmers, Wade, James, Battier and Bosh for the first time this season. ... The Heat have outscored the Thunder 56-37 in the opening quarter through the first two games. ... Game 2 marked the first time all season that Westbrook and Durant both picked up two fouls in the opening quarter. ... James' back-to-back 30-point efforts are the o
Top Game Performances
| Miami |
|
Oklahoma City |
|
LeBron James 32 |
Scoring |
Kevin Durant 32 |
|
LeBron James 5 |
Assists |
Russell Westbrook 7 |
|
Chris Bosh 15 |
Rebounds |
Kendrick Perkins 8 |
|
LeBron James 12 |
Free Throws Made |
James Harden 5 |
|
Mario Chalmers 3 |
Steals |
Kevin Durant 2 |
|
Chris Bosh 2 |
Blocks |
Serge Ibaka 5 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Miami
|
100 |
47.4 |
6-14 |
22-25 |
13 |
40 |
4 |
5 |
14 |
| Oklahoma City
|
96 |
43.0 |
9-26 |
19-26 |
14 |
36 |
9 |
9 |
11 |
Upcoming Games
-
Oklahoma City will play their next game on the road against Miami. The Thunder have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
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Miami will play their next game at home against Oklahoma City. The Heat have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
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