Classic NBA Games Full HD – New Orleans Hornets Vs Miami Heat 13 12 2010

Classic NBA Games Full HD – New Orleans Hornets Vs Miami Heat 13 12 2010

Miami inside the American Airlines Arena. The 17-8 Heat, the 14-9 Hornets, the Heat have won eight straight games. The last four on the road in dominating fashion. And tonight, a team that has moved right to the top of the class in defensive play. The Miami Heat will take on a team in New Orleans that has really struggled to score. Can the Heat defense and rebounding continue to be as dominant as it’s been against this New Orleans? Well, that’s the story tonight. Remember, point guards were killing the Heat earlier in the season. They’re going against the best in the league in my opinion and Chris Paul are going to have to contain that man to win this game tonight. Chris Paul who riddled Miamiy’s defense in early November with a 19 assist game helping the Hornets break down the Heat defense and score 50 points in the paint. So revenge only one of Miamiy’s motives tonight. The Hornets trying to become just the second team this year to defeat the Heat twice. The Celtics are the only team to do that. our officiating crew, Scott Foster, Curtis Player, and the man who will toss up the opening tip, Rodney M. South Florida. Great to be back at home and glad to have you with us as always as we embark on another Miami Heat NBA adventure. And the Heat getting back from their West Coast trip 7:15 a.m. Sunday morning, but enough time to regroup. And off we go as Bosch banks it in. Good start obviously for Chris. Bosch had a very good road trip and now has continued that at home. Chris Paul and David West, the two go-to men for this Hornets offense. A Mechco Oakafer had his best game of the year, scoring 26 from the center spot when these clubs met in the Big Easy. Rebound batted back taken by Trevor Orza. And this is Marco Bellyelli missing the three. And Chris Bosch, boy, his rebounding getting better and better. His pursuit with two hands, Eric, has really been outstanding. His 17 rebounds on the fourth game in six nights was just awesome as Bosch making his first two shots tonight. Could you ask for a better beginning for the power forward out of Georgia Tech with 17 rebounds Saturday against the Kings, the most grabbed by a Heat player this year. That’s Bosch Thor and the Hornets looking for their first score. Chris Paul a bullet pass down low knocked away by Elasquez. Here comes Wade with LeBron. LeBron missing on the layup. That ill- fated from the start. They heat a two-on-one did not capitalize with their best two finishers. Yeah, Dwayne threw that behind LeBron on that lob and LeBron did not have a chance to dunk it. Trevor Riza gets the Hornets first score. Well, Tony, last fast break, a an opportunity where the Heat were trying to hit a home run rather than just get the easy two. Well, that’s the way they play though. That usually that play works. It’s a it’s a high percentage play. Bosch against Oakafer. He’ll try again. And Bosch gets his own rebound. Chris Bosch, who had just one rebound the last time these two clubs met. LeBron guarded by Orza. Belly Nelli defending Dwayne Wade. High dribble by James. [Applause] Shot clock is down to six. Z comes up short and Okafer with a rebound. Hornets come in sixth in the West, two games behind Utah. Same record as Denver, but they beat the Nuggets by six in their second game of the year. Got off to an 8 and0 start, but they’ve dropped eight of their last 11. David West. Oh, that’s a power move by West. Got the score and the foul. You said it, Eric. The two-time allstar just took his man to the basket. Got Zunesquez tried to block the shot. He had to shoot it over a guy 73 with a long arm span. He did it and got the foul. David West averaged 19 points a game last year. First time in the last three years he was under 20. And this year he’s under 20 again, but not by much. Over 18 and a half points a game for the 8-year veteran out of Xavier. So he has three. And the Hornets have scored five unanswered to take their first lead. [Applause] Heat started slowly Saturday night in Sacramento. But did they come on after the first quarter? Mecha Oka for fouling Dwayne Wade. One of the recipes that has been successful for Wade, Tony. Something that he’s used all eight years in the NBA, his ability to get to the foul line. That shot fake gets him there as Okafer tries to block the shot. And Eric, the toughest game on any NBA team schedule is when they come back from a long road trip going east or west and they play the next day. this, as you mentioned, the team got in, flew all night, got in Sunday morning, and now they’re playing the next night. That’s a tough game to get up for. Your body’s still maybe on West Coast time. You’re a little sluggish. So, either going to have to fight through that, the mental aspect of that to win the game tonight. I don’t know about you, I did not get much sleep on that red eyee home from Sacramento. Yeah. But you play the schedule and Miami bouncing right back tonight. for their first game at home since the December 4th win over the Atlanta Hawks after a dominating four-game West Coast trip. Dwayne Wade with his first two points tonight. Wade averaging 23 points a game this year, but averaging almost 27 points on 60% shooting in the Heat’s eight-game winning streak. He was named today the Eastern Conference player of the week. And Eric, another way of looking at it is this team played yesterday, as you mentioned, played yesterday afternoon in Philadelphia and he did not play. So maybe that evens it out a little bit. Yeah, there is some speculation whether the Hornets played or not the other day. Bosch with his third field goal in four tries. The Hornets had an awful game yesterday in Philadelphia. An afternoon game, a 17-2 first half run for Philadelphia set the tone. The Hornets losing 88- 70. They were held at 23 first half points, just 10 in the second quarter. both were season lows and scored a season low 70 points on a season worth 30% shooting and the most amazing statistic of all that come out of yesterday’s loss in Philadelphia just four assists for New Orleans. Tell you how rare that is when we get a chance. A Royo behind his back could not finish on Paul LeBron missing in close off the offensive rebound. That’s he twice now have missed three times have missed point on the basket. Brown James twice has missed layup opportunities. Wade got a deflection, but Okafer gets the score. A Mecca Oakafer, who missed all five of his shots yesterday, but did hit 12 of 13 and scored a season high 26 when these clubs met in New Orleans. Bosch again given room. And the long rebound finds David West. He’d have missed six of their first nine shots. Bosch has all three heat field goals. [Applause] Arza finds Okafer in between Bosch and Gascus. West too far into the basket. Gasus getting a piece of three different shots there. Three block shots for Z on that one offensive sequence by the Hornets. What a stand for Zadronis Gas repelling three different New Orleans shots. Aoyo from the corner. Kaboom. Carlos Aoyo. His 18th triple. He’s made more threes this year than in most. He’s third in the NBA in three-point percentage. Yeah, he’s behind Mike Bby and Deshawn Stevenson. Who would have thought it? Carlos Aoya has made 14 of his last 21 shots over the last five games. Miami ahead by four. Just under seven minutes left first quarter. Kelly Nelly, former Golden State Warrior, got in but coughed it up. And here comes Dwayne Wade. Open court. LeBron the trailer. We doesn’t need him. Offense leading the defense. Coach Folster said when the Heat plays good D, they get rhythm and focus at the other end. And they’re certainly doing that now. Well, Heat fans saw that kind of basketball last four games on the road. Now they are enjoying it live and in person. A 92 explosion for Miami. [Music] Well, you can make a case that the Miami Heat are the best defensive team in the NBA right now. The Heat lead the league in points allowed, 91 a game. Actually second in the league in points allowed. They are first in the league in field goal percentage defense. And a moment ago, Chris Bosch blocked two shots. Ilgascus won and one fine skirmish underneath the Hornet basket. Well, the Hornets just three for their first 10. Tony a good start for Miami. High energy here in the first quarter. Now they’ve given two blocks a piece. Two for Il Gascus, two blocks for Bosch. That’s four blocks in the first five and a half minutes of this game. And Chris Paul so crafty with a dribble and he draws a foul on Miami. And that’s the first of the night on Carlos Aoyo. Tony, what would be the key for Carlos Aoyo to help contain Chris Paul? Well, that time he has to he didn’t let him go into the screen. Bosch Chris Paul went away from Royo. Take him into the big trap him on that wing so he doesn’t have room to maneuver. And so don’t try to overplay Chris Paul. Belly Nelly, a very good three-point shooter, the native of Italy, has 44 triples this year on 41% shooting. But the Hornets are down three. So far, they put a blanket on LeBron, but they left Zadrunis uncovered and El Gas gets his first score. Zadrunis making his 17th straight start. The Heat have won 12 of his first six games. Trevor Arza, former Los Angeles Laker and former UCLA Bruin in his first year with the Hornets. Paul open from the wing for two. Chris Paul the only double figure scorer for the Hornets yesterday afternoon in Philadelphia. He scored 25 of their 70 points. How about he’s sixth in the NBA in three-point shooting at 49%. He is third in assist missed the long jumper and Paul advances the six-foot guard in his sixth season at a Wake Forest. That’s what makes he and Darren Williams of of Utah so dangerous cuz they they’re very good at dishing the ball, double figure assists, but yet they can score from anywhere on the floor. Chris Bosch picks up his first 13 foul on the Miami Heat. Tony, I want to get back to their assist total yesterday in Philadelphia. only four assists, fewest in an NBA game since at least the 8687 season when the NBA started tracking assists for the team game by game. Now, the fewest assists ever in an NBA game, three. It’s happened four times, the last coming in 1976 by the Knicks in a game against the Boston Celtics. But a remarkably low figure for assists, just four. Three of them came for Chris Paul who averages 10 a game this year. Well, that’s what’s so amazing about it. You got arguably one of the best point guard guys in the NBA. And uh to get only three assists for the game and four for a team, that’s almost uh you know, unimaginable. You know, the Hornets 70 points yesterday tied Orlando 70 against Miami as the second lowest scoring game this year. The fewest points with 62 by the Bobcats against the Celtics. and their 30% shooting yesterday against the 76ers tied Orlando’s mark against Miami as well as the worst field goal percentage in a game this season. New Orleans looks like they’re in a zone. Five on the shot clock. LeBron will launch and connect. This two layups drills that 15-footer man averaging 24 points a game puts the Heat up four. Belly Nelli fakes the three and makes the two. Marco Bellyelli, who scored eight points in the first matchup, already has five tonight. The Heat will live with that, Eric. They’ve done a very good job playing against teams like uh uh you know, teams that really shoot the ball out like Orlando, where you go out and run them off the shot, make him take the two rather than the three. Tony, the Hornets are packed into a two-3 zone. Eric Spolster talked about this earlier. He said, “Everybody’s playing us the same. Packing in zone defenses, enticing us to take long jump shots.” Gas with a one-handed rebound. Yeah. The other team that he has played like that is Phoenix. Four minutes left first quarter. Heat up two. [Applause] Chris Bosch against David West got fouled on the hook and Bosch will go to the free throw line. David West picks up his first foul. What you want to be able to do, Eric, as an offense is to go at guys that are the best players on the other team. So we got West guarding Bosch. You want him to take West off the dribble, try to get him in foul trouble. Eric Dampier, Miami’s first change tonight. The 15-year veteran out of Mississippi State, replaces Zadrunis Elgascus. And coach, they have been an effective one-two combo in the middle for Miami over the last several games. Well, Heat fans, the Cavaliers of Cleveland are coming to the American Airlines Arena Wednesday night. If you want to be here at the Heat House to help Miami create an intense homec court advantage, you can. Great lower level seats are available for this game or sit uptown for a great low price. Buy your tickets online anytime, including right now at heat.com. Coach Bolster al often speaks about a three-headed center that he has. He’s got Big Z that starts at 73 that can hit a jump shot. He’s got Dampier who’s big and strong inside, can block shots and a and a space eater. And then he’s got Joel Anthony at 69 who started the year off starting at center who can run the floor and really get after people. got the quick feet of a small forward. Eight on the shot clock for New Orleans and it goes to a former Yukon star, a Mecca Oakafford and Eric Dampier. That’s unfortunate. Only two seconds left on the 24se second clock and Dampier picks up a hand check foul. Eric, he had good position that time, but he reached in on Okafer. All he had to do is maintain his position. Watch this again. He’s going to reach in and draw a foul here. Just maintain it. You got two more seconds on the clock. as he reaches in, he commits the foul. Jawan Howard in, Chris Bosch out, and James Jones also checks in for Miami. Dwayne Wade goes to the bench. And as we usually point out, Chris Bosch goes out with about the three and a half, four minute mark, gets a rest, starts the f second quarter. So, it’s a it’s a routine that coach Bolster likes to use. Chris Paul out of the corner. David West with the offensive rebound. West converts. David West already has six points and seven rebounds. West had 15 points and the same seven rebounds back on the 5th of November in New Orleans against Miami. It’s a one-point Heat lead and the Heat continue to operate cautiously against this zone defense. Shot clock is down to six. Aoyo tough one over West off. And coach right now I say the zone defense for New Orleans is working. Yeah, the Yeah. clogging up the middle and the Heat’s got to run more and LeBron picks up a foul. First on LeBron, Miami over the limit. The early challenge has been levied by New Orleans. They’re packing in their zone. They’re enticing the Heat to shoot jumpers. And so far, those jumpers are not dropping for Miami. [Music] Welcome back to Miami, Florida, the American Airlines Arena here in downtown Miami. Sun Sports presenting Heat Basketball presented to you by AT&T Universe. You’re looking at the youngest head coach in the NBA, 38-year-old Monty Williams, the third Hornets coach in the last three years. And uh he has improved the defense for the Hornets. They’re allowing just under 92 points a game, third best scoring defense and number eight in field goal percentage allowed. They’re a much better defensive team this year. The problem has been on the offensive end. The Hornets ranking 26 in the league in scoring at just under 94 points a game. Yeah, Monty very honest before the game. He said, uh, you know, we’ve missed some shots. We’ve had our rough moments. Uh, some outside distractions with the franchise, a trade that disrupted a little bit. He said he’s sold on his top eight, but uh, you’ve got to play a guessing game from night to night off his bench. And he said, “Lately, I’ve been making some wrong decisions with my bench, but he’s been hard on himself, coach. They’ve done a pretty good job this year so far.” No doubt. Then when you when you have guys that uh are sporadic in their contributions off the bench, then you search for other guys. So it’s it’s every night it’s a different adventure. Ball game is tied at 18. Two and a half left first quarter here in Miami. So far the heat taking jumpers against the Hornets zone defense. LeBron drives and converts. Second score for LeBron James. [Applause] Hornets right now being led by David West who has six points and seven rebounds. Chris Bosch leads the Heat with seven points. Belly Nelly for three and the long rebound taken by Trevor Hiza from behind James Jones to flex it away. Okay, the Heat out rebound. A ninth straight team. They’ve been dominating on the glass by over 10 rebounds a game in this eightgame winning streak. Out on the road, they outrebounded four opponents by over 14 a game. But early on, coach, the Hornets with a 13-8 advantage on the glass, five on the offensive board. So, the Heat’s got to get after the defensive boards. Remember, protecting the defensive glass was an early season problem for Miami. It has recurred here in the first quarter tonight. This is Aaron Gray, the veteran center, just activated. He’s spent most of the year on the inactive list. That time it showed. He bobbled the ball and then committed a foul. Yeah, you can see he’s a little rusty when he caught the ball at the foul line. Didn’t even look at the rim. He can make that shot from the foul line and then bobble that pass. Darren Gray, sevenfooter out of pit in his fourth NBA season. And when I say he hasn’t played much, I mean at two games and 21 minutes on the year. And that’s another example. The Hornets are still searching for backups. [Applause] Chmers in finds James Jones for three. Kaboom. James Jones and threes. And they go hand in hand. 11 straight games with at least one triple for Jones who is shooting 56% from downtown in that stretch. He did not have much room that time. He doesn’t need it. 68 gets the shot over the defender. James Jones 54th triple this year. He’s fourth in the NBA in making threes. And coach, what a pleasant surprise James Jones has been. Remember the preseason injury to Mike Miller took away one of the Heat’s best perimeter weapons, but James Jones has stepped in and up and filled that void. He’s done a great job and he it’s not just shooting the threes, Eric. He’s much better as a rebounder. He’s showing some toughness on defense. Joan Howard committed that last foul. David West misses the first free throw. Mike Miller getting closer and closer to his return to the active roster. Remember, he broke the thumb on his right hand, his shooting hand. Here’s video of Miller warming up tonight before the game. And coach, this is a good sign, but just the first step along the way as uh he continues to recover. That’s a serious injury when you break the thumb on your shooting hand. And while his range of motion looks good there, you got to be ready for contact as well. There’s no doubt it took James Jones really two years or a year and a half to come back from his hand injury. Miami up by four. Seven points for David West. Minute to go first quarter. Jones straightaway three. That one rims out. Good looking rebound for the athletic 6’8 in Trevor Oriza. Averages five and a half rebounds a game. Jared Jack in for the Hornets. They acquired him from Toronto a few weeks back and he’s become their backup point guard, taking the job that was held by Willie Green. and he’s another guy getting acclimated to this team. Trevor Reza knocks him a jumper. Orza averages 11 and already has five. The Hornets are down by two. [Applause] Then the Hornets still in that zone. Chimemers for the penetrating damp here. That’s good ball movement and player movement against the zone. That was pretty good. Good eye contact between the two players. Good timing on the cut and a good pass by Chamas. First score of the game for Eric Dampier playing in his 10th game with Miami. Almost two second difference between the shot clock and the game clock. This is Jack gets through the first wave of defense. Finds David West inside and West draws a foul. And coach, there’s another example. When a point guard breaks through the first line of defense, it usually causes you a problem somewhere along the way. And Dampier hit him with his left hand on the body. So he pushed him on the shot. Jared Jack getting into the lane area beating three heat defenders. And you see right there with the left hand, Damper pushes West. David West will be taking his sixth and seventh free throws of the quarter. The Heat as a team have taken only four. By the way, that in the lane replay was brought to you by Maroon. Remember gang, all 30 Maroon service lanes are open seven days a week. Visit maroon service.com. Trevor Arazza out in comes their rookie out of the University of Washington, Quincy Pond Dexter. And Eric Dampier comes out quickly. Dampier picked up two fouls in four minutes. And talking about Pond Dexter, the 66 swingman was the 26th pick in the 2010 draft by Oklahoma City and acquired in a draft night trade. He’s a very good athlete. They acquired him on draft night for Mo Peterson and Cole Aldridge. Z’s in the game because he has uh a little over six seconds to score and probably look for Joel Anthony to start the second half at center. LeBron from the top of the circle bounces off. Well, Miami got seven quick points from Chris Bosch, but David West was the star of the first quarter. The New Orleans power forward had nine points and seven first quarter rebounds. After [Music] one, Jason Jackson courtside. As you know, the New Orleans Hornets are owned now by the NBA. And if you didn’t know, now you know. And as a part of our Kia car, we introduce you to the man who is running the entire situation. Kia car presented by Kia Motors. A powder surprise. That gentleman appointed by Commissioner Stern is New Orleans native Jack Sperling. The 61-year-old sports lawyer went to college and law school at the University of Virginia after a successful high school basketball career in New Orleans. He had a failed attempt to walk on with the Cavs, but he kept rolling on in the business of sports living at Colorado right out of school, but now resides in the Minneapolis St. Paul area. That comes up in a moment. Before his current gig as the Hornets keeper, Sperling worked on Deals to Build Course Field, Miller Park, AT&T Park in San Francisco. He also led the charge to land the NHL’s Minnesota Wild. Was a part owner, ran the team at one point. He has sold his part since, but now as a team VP, as well as this job. Now, job number one, back home in New Orleans, try to find a local buyer. The commissioner realizes that this is not going to be easy, especially with out of town owners dangling money around. Sperling apparently does have some potential options in New Orleans, though. There are rumors suggesting that Yahoo co-founder and Lake Charles native and two lane alum David Felo worth an estimated three billion is a possible buyer. New Orleans attorney Morris Bart has also reportedly been trying to assemble an ownership group. So Eric Tony folks are trying to keep this team down in the big easy and that will be anything but easy. Jacks informative report on a very unusual situation with the New Orleans Hornets. the league trying to give the franchise stability, but uh that doesn’t really seem all that stable when the league has to come in and buy a franchise. George Shin, the original owner of the Charlotte Hornets, has been a part of the Hornet franchise for the entire history of the franchise, but not for much longer and not any longer at all. Joel Anthony underneath, gobbled up by Jason Smith, the former Philadelphia 76er and resident 7-footer. Right now, the Heater behind by one. They’ll get the ball back on New Orleans third turnover of the game. Before we get back to the Hornets situation, the Heat went through the first quarter without a turnover. First time they’ve gone through a quarter this year without committing a turnover. Tony, whether they can stay in New Orleans long term is a major question mark. Has nothing to do with this particular Hornets team, but yet it has been a distraction. One that Monty Williams says we cannot use as any kind of an excuse. No, there’s no doubt. And there’s even been stories written about contraction. So that also comes into the mix, you know, where you dissolve a team and disperse the players on other teams in the NBA. Yeah. So the two of the three scenarios are are not good for the people of New Orleans and that would be the team disappearing totally or the team relocating. The third option, of course, is for the team to remain in New Orleans where they’ll probably need a better arena deal for any new ownership to uh turn a profit. Jason Smith committed that last foul. Chris Bosch could not convert the three-point play. Posh does lead Miami with nine points. Eric to start the second quarter. I I believe it’s the first time this year we’ve seen a heat in the two-3 zone. They did it for a couple of sequences. Now they’re back from manto man. And Aaron Gray using that big body able to score in the paint. The Hornets proving to be a very tough out for Miami. The Hornets are up by one late against Willie Green. Draws the foul and will get a trip to the free throw line. Something they haven’t done very often tonight. Just five free throws attempted through the first quarter. D Way’s got all those gyrations. It’s very difficult to keep your feet, I’m sure, in every opponent’s scouting report. It is to stay down on D. Wade’s fakes and ball fakes, shot fakes. It’s easier said than done. Yeah, it’s that time again this year, Heat fans. The holidays are upon us. Christmas and New Year’s just around the corner. And here at the Heat House, well, you know, every year the East Plaza turns into a winter wonderland. This year it’s from December 20th through January 1st, courtesy of Miami Children’s Hospital. Bring the kids and the whole family to enjoy pregame and halftime activities which include bounce houses, face paint, pictures with burning claws, and heat dancer autographs. Winter Wonderland free to everybody who has a ticket to games on the December 20th, 28th, and January 1st. You can purchase your heat tickets online at heat.com. Five points for Wade. Tie game here in Miami. Chummers from behind. knocked it away from Jared Jack. And here he comes. Wade over Green. That’s a tough shot, but it drops. Three points in a row for Dwayne. Well, we know that D. Wayade and LeBron get on runs. They have, especially of late where they they kind of own the quarter when they get going. Quincy Pond Dexter thought better of it. Good closeout defense by Chomemers and Jared Jack getting more comfortable with each game he plays here. This is his 11th game with the Hornets. That’s his first field goal of this one. He’s got three. Jack tonight playing in his 313th consecutive game. The second best active streak of games played in the NBA, trailing only Derek Fischer’s 432. Wade got caught underneath the rim and was running out of gravity. And that’s Miami’s first turnover tonight. Good defense by Joel Anthony. Bosch with a rest on sale outlet and a hard foul from behind by Jared Jack. And Wade definitely checking the license plate of the Jack that just hit him. Well, that a block at one end by Joel Anthony leads to that breakaway by Wade. He got hit in midair. The officials are going to talk. They’re going to call it a hard foul. Let’s see it again. All you have to determine is whether there’s unnecessary contact to be a flagrant one. That looked like a hard foul. Dwayne Wade has just been hit with a technical foul. [Music] Now, was he making a play on the ball or was he just trying to hog tie Wade from behind to prevent the layup? Either way, it’s Jared Jack that gets the technical free throw. Eric, that’s not really in the rule whether you’re going for the ball or not. The referees can’t determine intent. All they determine is if there was unnecessary contact on the play. Let’s see it again. The dangerous thing about this play is that the man is up in the air. And Jack, you know, the point you’re making is a good one. Jack did not go for the ball at all, but that’s not in the rule at all. Jarrett Jack’s free throw puts the Hornets up by one. Now Wade gets two on this. Miami missing four of their first eight free throws. That was a flagrant one. Wade would have gotten two shots and he would have gotten the ball on the side. Dwayne Wade has shot 60% from the fielder better in six of the last seven games. From a free throw line, different story, just 71% this season. Tie game at 31. Wade has Miami’s last four points. James Jones defending Willie Green, a veteran out of Detroit Mercy College. Jason Smith. Now Jason Smith, he’s been in and out of the rotation. Had a good game against Miami the first time these clubs met Tony and he had 12 points and six rebounds off the Hornets bench. Yeah. Actually drafted by the Miami He in 2007. Swapped to the Philadelphia 76ers for Daquin Cook. Wade on the move and he draws another foul. The good things happen when Dwayne Wade gets past that first defender and into the painted area. Two free JM Lexus Road ahead. Big battle coming up with the much improved New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden Friday night. Then to the nation’s capital, the Heat Wizards on Saturday at 7 and a big Mug game Monday next week as well. The Dallas Mavericks, another of those teams to beat Miami comes to Miami. Then the Heat play at Phoenix two nights before Christmas. See it all right here on Sun Sports. And there’s your JM Lexus road ahead of JM Lexus Price made them number one 18 years running. Click jmlexus.com to find out how. Hottest teams in the NBA. The Mavericks have won 12 in a row. Tonight they host Milwaukee. Boston 10 straight wins. They play at New York on Wednesday and the Nicabachers eight straight wins including 13 of their last 14. The Knicks leading the NBA in scoring right now at over 108 points a game. and they have an NBA best eight straight games with over a 100 points. So before the Knicks get Miami, they get the Celtics on Wednesday and the Heat get the Cavaliers. But first things first, Miami trying to take care of their Monday night business here against a New Orleans team that has lost two straight and eight of their last 11. They haven’t had a three-game losing streak yet this year. And right now the tempo of the game is in the Hornets favor. They’re not running as much. You got to get stops, get it out and go. They haven’t done it that much yet. Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosch leading Miami with nine points. David West leading the Hornets with nine along with seven rebounds. And another foul on the Heat being assessed to Chris B. Mario picks up his first. And that is the team’s first foul in this second quarter. Now Miami came into this game second place in the East, three games behind Boston, a half game up on Orlando. But Tony, he’s very close. Nobody could get too accustomed to any position in the East. Chicago, Atlanta, and New York are all within a game and a half of the Heat. It’s going to be like that for a while, Eric. Teams are the Eastern teams are better than people give them credit for. And with 8:25 left in this quarter, the Heat have the Hornets already in foul trouble with five team fouls. So, the Heat are in the bonus the rest of the quarter. Tony, the Heat are in real deep rebounding trouble though. They’ve been out rebounded 20-9. And that is eye-catching for a Heat team that has out rebounded the last eight opponents by more than 10 a game. Paul for Oakafer and a Mecca on the pick and roll. Scores for the second time for Chris Paul. His second assists and this three-point lead for the Hornets is their biggest. But that rebound disparity is a little bit scary for Miami here in the first half. That those are second chance points. And the Hornets have not really been a strong rebounding team this year overall. Marco Bellyelli back in. Willie Green goes to the bench. Picked up three fouls guarding Dwayne Wade. LeBron James and LeBron James back in for for the Heat. Trevor Riza checking back for the Hornets. Big Z’s going to come in as well. Dwayne Wade. He’s taken eight of Miami’s first 11 free throws. Wade is fifth in the NBA. Almost nine free throw attempts a game and the Heat are going to go with four starters and Chmer’s at point guard. So Oasquez in Anthony Y out. You know Wade played well in New Orleans the night the Heat lost by three. Went 13 for 13 from the line in that game. Had 28 points and 10 rebounds. The one exception was seven turnovers. First time Dwayne has gone to the line where he has made both. He scored seven straight heat points. He’s still down by one. Wade the first man to get to double figures with his 11 points. Chris Paul paints a pretty picture. Second bucket for the two-time Allstar. Makes it look easy, doesn’t he? Well, for a guy like Chris Paul, it it does come easy, but being his that great is never easy. Wade stutter step dribble down the lane for the runner. That’s pretty. Oh man, he faked going right and dodged going left and shot the runner in the lane. Nine point second quarter for Wade. Nine straight heat points for Wade. He’s got 13. The Heater down one. Almost a steal for James. Jason Smith. It popped out. Ilgascus with his fourth rebound. LeBron motoring. Get up. Popped out for Bosch. Okafer with his fourbound. Chris Bosch made his first three shots. Just one for his last four. Billy Nelly misses. Another rebound for Z. [Applause] Wayne’s feeling in this quarter. We talked about how he he dominates some quarters and LeBron dominates others, especially the third quarter for LeBron, Chamers, Joe Valain, and Drew F. And it’s on Chris Paul. That’s his first foul. And the Hornets are over the limit. Miami to the free throw line here with 618 still remaining in the second quarter. I invite you to join us Wednesday night, 7:30 on Foxportsfll.com for the Miami Heat game lounge. It’s brought to you by AT&T Universe. While the Heater battling it out with the Cleveland Cavaliers, you can log on to chat with other Heat fans live. Let your voice be heard Wednesday night 7:30 on Foxportsf.com during the Heat and the Cavaliers. 790 the ticket radio personality Stu Gos the on air partner of Dan Leard will be the guest on the Heats game lounge. And Mario Chamas goes 10 for 10 from the foul line for the season. And his first two points of the game. Miami ahead by one. See Oasis stepping out. Eric, they’re trying to limit how much freedom Chris Paul has. Now you got Bosch stepping out. Belly Nelli cut by Wade. Flips it into Okafer. Another foul on Ilgus. And co doesn’t have to be Chris Paul breaking down your defense. That time it was Bellanelli that got ahead of steam on Wade. That caused a problem on the back end. Yeah, it was the double team on Paul that caused all of that. Just like Wade and LeBron that they you see the double team, he has to adjust their defense. There’s penetration and Elasquez picks up the foul. [Music] New Orleans. The Hornets took an early lead. The Heat did recover. Matter of fact, Miami’s first lead came with just under a minute left on those two LeBron free throws. Then Trevor Reza put the Hornets up by four. His three came with 14 seconds left. Chris Bosch kaboom from downtown. That three with 7 seconds left, but down three. The Heat get a opportunity to tie. Eddie House missed it at the buzzer and the Hornets won it 96- 93. Monty Williams said Miami played us tough that night, but the Hornets had rebounding the heat by six, scoring 50 points in the paint. And coach, we’re seeing some similar things tonight. New Orleans already with 14 points in the paint and early on the Hornets have a 10 rebound advantage over Miami. And Eric, the uh you know, as you said, some of the same problems tonight. The Heat have to uh you know, they look like they’re playing a little sluggish right now. They’ve got to pick up the tempo and you do that starting with better defense and then getting out getting the ball out in the open court. Three-point play for Oklahoma. Five points for Amecha. The Hornets lead by two. Borner still in their 23 zone defense. It’s given Miami some concern and LeBron turns it over. And that is the first official turnover of tonight’s game. Miami had never gone never in in their franchise history gone through a first half without committing a turnover. Almost got there tonight. 543 left in this first half. There was no spacing on that pass. He tried to LeBron tried to throw that into a small area and hands got in the way and got it stolen. Arza back door cut for an easy score. Seven points for Trevor Orzo. The Heat looking flatfooted on that defensive possession and the Hornets with their largest lead so far tonight at 42- 38. Bosch the left-handed flip. So Chris Bosch with 11 points on five for eight shooting. Wade and Bosch have combined the score 24 of the Heat’s 40 points. Chris Paul so far, four points, couple of assists. Billy Nelly again gets by Wade, hands it off to Oakafer. That’s twice Bellanelli has been able to dribble by Wade and when help comes, he’s found the open man. That’s right. You left uh Chasers down there on a big, you know, a guard on the big. That’s what you want to do on offense. He’d need better on the ball defense against Paul and Billy Nelly. Hornets by four. Chomers protected it. Bosch was surrounded. Rio for three. That’s way off. And the rebound taken down by David West. This looks more like an early season Heat game. It does. And you know what’s happening, Eric, is the Heat are not running as much. So, they’re forced into the half court offense. And uh New Orleans is forcing the Heat to take jump shots. And the Hornets have now forged ahead 46-40 on a 9-2 New Orleans run. And the zone defense from the Heat’s lack of rebounding have hurt Miami in the first half. No rhythm, no fluidity to the Heat offense. Chomers for three and Oakafer down with a rebound. Mecha Okafer nine points, five rebounds. The Hornets out rebounding Miami by 12. Arza and we get a whistle inside. 3second violation on a Mecca Okafer. But Tony, the Hornets operating very efficiently on both ends of the floor. Monty Williams team shot just 30% yesterday afternoon in Philadelphia. Here in the second quarter tonight, they have made 10 of their 14 shots. Give the Give the Hornets credit. Give the rookie coach credit. He said before the game, “We’re going to come out ready to play. Yesterday is done with. Let’s forget about it and let’s focus on tonight. And they’re doing a good job of doing that. LeBron cut off by Ariza and fouled by Trevor Arza. Brown looking to get going. He’s taken just five shots. This will be his first trip to the free throw line. He has four points, two rebounds, and two assists. Arriza picking up his first foul. Trevor drafted by the Knicks. Spent a year and a half there. Then two seasons with the Magic, two with the Lakers. last season with the Houston Rockets. Stay tuned for Heat halftime which is coming up presented by Chevy. Reporters roundt returns with scribe stars like Ira Linderman, Israel Gutierrez and Mike Wallace joining Jacks. You don’t want to miss it. Also an interview tonight with Keith Haskins, Christian. We’ll talk with a Heat assistant coach. They’re going to that round table talk will be about the future of this New Orleans Hornets franchise. Be interesting to hear what the scribes think about it. Enjoyed the pregame edition of the reporters round table. Lively panel. Six points for LeBron James. Four-point lead for the Hornets with 339 remaining in this first half. Chris Paul, a lot of talk about his future. Still has a year left on his existing contract. [Applause] balls crosscourt pass finds a reason. Shot clock is down to six. David West against Jawan Howard. David West, that’s his that’s his move, coach. He likes to square up and face his defender before firing. He’s got 11 points and eight first half rebounds. Yeah, that’s what he likes to do in the low post to use his dribble to get away from his man or he’ll spot up for the Jay. Second time the Heat have trailed by six in this quarter. Raid for three. Drean Raid. What a second quarter this has been for him. He’s got 12 of his 16 points in this period and his 743 of the year. Chris Paul has it ricocheted off. Dwayne Wade with that offense doing a lot good job moving without the ball. All right, you got a Reza right there. Now watch what happens on this play as everyone’s focusing in on West. There’s going to be a back door cut right there. He’s going to hit a Reza for an easy basket as Wade runs out to the corner. All right, then the second play, you got Belly Nelly in the corner. Watch what happens here. Okay, you’re going to see Amecha Okafer right here. Watch what happens when Belly Nelly goes to the basket. Z comes over to help. It leaves Chalas on the weak side against Okafer. And obviously a guard at 61 6’2 can’t deal with a guy 610 611. And coach the Hornets are shooting a rather robust 56% here in the first half. Miami at 48% only one turnover but they’ve been trailing the Hornets for much of this quarter. By the way, that closer look was brought to you by our friends from Maroon. Remember all 30 Maroon service lines are open seven days a week. So make sure to visit maroon service.com. Wayne would be happy that I gave him 73 threes for the season. I know. I shocked you. He’s 16 for 57 now from the three-point line. A little over 27%. By the way, Wade had 13 points in the second quarter against Sacramento. And he’s got 12 points tonight in that same quarter against New Orleans. One, two, two matchup zone. They’re going to stay in it. New Orleans is because they want to slow the heat down. Eight points for Chris Paul after those free throws. Arza leans in, fouls Wade. Trevor Reza’s second foul. Well, after years of studying tape on Dwayne Wade, people still bite on that shot fake. Trevor Reza knows he was had. And Dwayne Wade will go to the free throw line two more times. Yeah, I remember Dwayne Wade made a jumper in Madison Square Garden over Ariza to win a game at the buzzer against the Knicks. And there Arza could not keep his feet. One of my favorite Madison Square Garden moments for Miami. I have that picture somewhere in my office. Coach, he ran over to the uh celebrity side of the of the arena and he’s pointing at them. Basket good. Yeah, he and Matthew Modí were having a debate. Meanwhile, that shot was one of the many that ejected me. You’re right from our seat on broadcast row. I went flying. Man, you and I being New Yorkers, we loved it. Happened against the Knicks. Damn. Right now, they’re looking to see if it’s a three-point shot from the three-point line. So, he gets three free throws or he gets two. And what Wayne usually does, he starts outside the three-point line, but then steps in to draw the foul. And it’s usually a two- shot foul. Tony, he took just two free throws in the first quarter. He’s already been to the line eight times here in the second period. He’s going to get at least two more free throw attempts right here. And maybe three. We’ll get a look in a moment to see if that was a two or a three. And here is that look. Wade right there behind the line. Let’s see where he is. That should be a three-point situation. Three point. It looks like three. You can’t see his feet on this on the [Music] Rodney M. One of the officials not looking at the official replay is looking at ours right along with you. And that is a perfect look by Ted Ballard and our Sun Sports crew. That has got to be a three-shot scenario for Dwayne. Yeah, good job by the officials. They they went over to the scores table that for some reason that replay wasn’t working. So they came over to look at our screens and they saw that Dwight stayed behind the three-point line. He’ll get three free throws. Give Rodney Ma an A for extra effort. He wasn’t involved with the official closer look, but he came over to our monitors coach and uh saw what he needed to see. There’s Rodney, veteran NBA official. Very good rule by the NBA. They put in a about 11 situations that the uh officials can go check out the replay to get the call right. 17 first half points for Dwayne Wade. Remember, he went to the line 13 times in the first meeting. He going to get the 13 free throws on this sequence. Wade with 18 points now. Miami still trailing by three. And the highest scoring quarter of the season for Dwayne Wade. 19 points in the half. 15 coming in this second quarter. So the two highest scoring quarters of the season for Wade come in consecutive second quarter Saturday night in Sacramento and Monday night here in Miami. He trying to up their defense. That’s what’s been missing. Pond Dexter misses the three. Aoyo yo-yoing the rebound. finally taken by David West and two more second chance points for New Orleans. This must be solved or Miami is going to lose a game at home. They’ve been out rebounded by 13 here in the first half. 24-11 and that is stunning. A lot of the offensive rebounds have come on long rebounds off a long shot. So, they’ve got to get after those those rebounds that are hitting the floor. Tony, in the four straight road wins, the Heat out rebounded the opposition by 14 a game, including a season high 21 rebound advantage against the Warrior against the Kings on Saturday. Right now, David West having it his way. 15 first half points and the Hornets have matched their largest lead at six. Two things going on, Eric. Hornets are playing very well and the Heat don’t have the the pep that they usually have and we talked about that at the beginning of the game. When you come off a long road trip, you never know how your team’s going to react the first game back. Thank goodness for Dwayne Wade, who has 22 first half points. He just tripled for the second time in a row. So Wade with n uh 20 of his 22 here in the second quarter. Checking 18 of his 22 in this quarter. Here’s West launching from the elbow and the rebound taken by D. Wade. He’s done everything for Miami in this first half except self popcorn. Under a minute left in the quarter, LeBron against the rookie Pond Dexter and Pond Dexter able to steal the ball away from LeBron who is struggling through this first half with just six points. Crowd wanted a foul called on the rookie Quincy Pond Dexter. When LeBron gets in the lane area, you’ve got a that’s a common foul. the ball being taken out on the side and when LeBron gets in the lane area, you’ve got to get him low cuz once he raises up off of the launching pad, you’re dead in there. So, you’re trying to get him low. That’s the second time that’s happened on his drives to the lane. Carlos Royo picking up his second foul. Just the fourth on the Heat in this quarter. Side out of bounds for the Hornets. Well, the Hornets do not have the look of a team that’s lost eight of their last 11 games. They did yesterday in Philadelphia when they lost 8870. They look like the team we saw in New Orleans in route to an 8-0 start. Gas down with rebound number six and the heat of a chance for the final shot of the first half. Give it to the hot hand. Let him go. Hot hand has it. 3 seconds left. Wayne all the way in. Beautiful play. A magnificent drive finish for Dwayne Wade. A 20point quarter and a 24-point half for Dwayne Wade. Smart play by the Heat. Give it to the hot hand. Let him go. D when Dwight’s feeling it. There isn’t anybody who can stop him. He’s going to get a good shot. It’s up to him to make it. And he went left on the baseline. His best move is going left with that left hand dribble. You’re going to see the reverse layup on the other side of the basket. And the Heat in a lethargic first half down one at halftime. Well, for Dwayne Wade, his highest scoring quarter of the year and his highest scoring half of the season. Wade with 24 in the first half for Miami, but the Heat were mauled on the glass. They trail by one. Now for a preview of tonight’s halftime report presented by Chevy, your host, Jason Jackson. Eric, thank you very much. A oneman second quarter. We’ll speak with one man about the second half. That’ll be assistant coach Keith Asins in just a bit. We also have hot seconds with Jacks. Right now we got trucks guys who drive a heavy duty truck. Tonight on the NBA live television broadcast. Carmelo Anthony back with the Nuggets. But will it be enough to stop the Red Hot Knicks? Meanwhile, the Nets have their hands full as they host Kobe Pal and the rest of the Lakers. All that and more is coming at you right now on NBA Live. [Applause] LeBron James. The big play action. We’re just trying to run our offense and play solid on defense. No one’s going to hand us wins. You’re going to have to go take it. They’re going to be hard. Get out of my way. Get out of my way. Grant, you talk about fast and furious action. We got it right here. [Music] Jordan Farar and the Nets hosting the Los Angeles Lakers starring Kobe Bryant. First quarter action drives the layup plus the foul and the shot driving by Derek. Here comes Jordan Farart hitting the big time threepointer cutting it to a four-point game. Then Kobe Bryant pushes the ball dishes to Pal Gasol for the thunderous one hand jam. Take another look as Gaul finishes in transition. Fourth quarter. Lakers passing the ball around and Lamar ODM the dish to Palol for the easy jam plus the foul. Then it’s Anthony Marorrow with the shot fake. Steps in and he’s able to hit the jumper after juking, jing, and hitting. Nets bench enjoying the action there. But here come the Lakers. Kobe Bryant waiting for the gassaul screen. He’s able to connect from downtown. Devin Harris, however, would not be denied as he drives down the lane. He’s able to connect on the runner for two. But don’t count out these Lakers. Kobe Bryant spinning in the air. The dish to Pal for the strong finish at the cup. Then it’s Derek Fisher to Lamar. He’s able to bury the three. Lakers win 99. Still to come on NBA Live, the Sixers host the Hornets. Can they rise to the occasion? Plus, we’ll bring you the top five plays of the night. Stay tuned. There’s more NBA Live after this. from the unnecessary stats department. Tim Duncan playing the 10,000th regular season game of his career. And Duncan celebrating accordingly. He’s able to get the shot to fall. George Hill then the steel loses control but still able to put it up and in in the fast break. Marcus Cami then trying to get things going for Portland. He cuts to the hoop, throws it down over Richard Jefferson. Strong jam by the Cami man. Then Tony Parker the drive. Parker the dish to George Hill for the three-point shot in the corner. Andre Miller. Third quarter action here. He’s going to miss the fast break layup. However, watch Marcus Aldridge. No one else is. He finishes with the jam. No box out there from the Spurs. Tony Parker driving, getting a nice dish to Dewan Blair who finishes with a tasty little reverse layup there. Then it’s George Hill driving and he’s going to put a nice move on there. Scoring at the cup plus the foul. Take another look behind the back up in plus the foul. Manui getting into the mix. Foot on the line. The Deepest two I’ve ever seen. And it goes in. Tony Parker getting work done. Going to lose Patty Mills on a nice back door cut. Tim Duncan finds him. Parker scores. San Antonio wins 9578. on to win 10677. Now it’s time to announce our international player of the night. Tonight the award goes to the New York Knicks center, Amari Starttomire from the United States. Amari netted 30 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and blocked three shots while leading the Knicks to their eighth win in a row. Starttomire broke the New York Knicks record when he scored 30 points for the eighth straight game. And that makes him our international player of the night. We’ve waited all show, but finally they’re here. The top five plays and at number five, George Hill goes behind the back. Sacrifices his body gets on the floor. Hill [Applause] and number four Kobe to Pow on the fast break for the dunk. W the hand off to the he knew he had the trailer. Beautifully done. Number three, Raymond Felton. The oop to Chandler to Chandler. Oh, he throws it down. Perfect pass from Felton. And a thrilling finish from Chandler. At number two, a fan in Oklahoma City wins 20 grand. Dude just won himself $20,000. Well, he’s got good form first of all. Even turns the wrist over. Look at that. The finish, the follow through. Wow. Right in time for Christmas. And the number one play of the night. James Harden with the facial toast. Put it right on his head. James Harden. 12. He made 17 of the Heat’s next 23 points. So, you get him upset and he turns it into points. The Hornets shot 54% in the first half to Miami’s 50%. Miami outrebounded in that those first two quarters 25-13 and a hard foul I believe by Zadunis Gaus since David West flying toward the first row of the seats under the basket. West and Oakafer have provided problems to Miami. 15 points, nine rebounds for West, nine points, five rebounds for Oakafer. And if he fans are looking for reason for concern, how about Chris Paul getting just eight points and three assists in the first half yet the Hornets uh very much in this game. [Applause] David West now with 16 points. He averages just under 19 a game. He is their top scorer, their number two rebounder, and their field goal percentage leader this season. [Applause] Hornets are up by three. 17 for David West. Now, LeBron James showing got to get more involved in this game. Just a six-point first half for LeBron. And here is James. A Royo’s jumper is good. Carlos Aoyo who hit a three early and then missed three shots now has five points. The Heater down by one. Dwayne Wade defending Marco Bellyelli. David West setting the screen. Paul splits two defenders and Elasquez reaching to the sky for his seventh rebound. a Royal for Bosch. He was the third option, but was the best option. That’s why you keep trailing the play. You never know what’s going to happen. They were overplaying Wade and LeBron on the wings. A Royo, smart play. 13 points for Chris Bosch. Good patience by Carlos Aoyo kept his dribble alive. And then Aoyo inadvertently taking a swipe at Chris Paul. Aoyo’s third foul. Paul is so active, Eric, when he has the ball, standing still, gyating, faking passes, faking the shot, and then he draws attention and contact. You know, Tony, the Heat defense, which has been so good to sell opponents at 40% or less in six of the last seven games. And right now, the Hornets are at 53% from the floor. And Tony, Heat fans at halftime running in there saying, “Why aren’t the Heat running more? You don’t rebound, it’s hard to run.” He’d have been out rebounded by 11 at this moment. That’s the key. David West on the flip and West has all four points for the Hornets here in this third quarter and 19 on the night. You can see why he’s a two-time allstar. David West been an all-star in two of the last three seasons. You pretty much pencil him in for about 20 points, nine rebounds a night over his career. LeBron long jumper comes up short. They have kept LeBron out of the paint for the most part. He’d get the offensive rebound, get a chance to run some offense here. Wade’s running hook. Very difficult shot and he runs out of room. [Applause] here in the third quarter at the American Airlines Arena here in Miami. He have won eight straight games. A winning streak that began November the 29th against Washington. Bill Gas comes up with his third block shot tonight. Hornets very good getting back in transition defensively. That was good right there. Wade had no options. Bosch from the wing and the rebound down to Chris Paul. [Applause] Chris Paul, one of the NBA’s premier point guards. LeBron James with his third rebound. He looking for some momentum here at home. Done a nice job defending LeBron. Air ball for Ilgus and very few second chances for Miami. Crowd starting to get a little Wade on the passing lane. That’s what the Heat lead, Tony. A burst from their defense to trigger some offense, get the crowd into the game. Get some momentum. Brain Wade’s holding his left wrist. He is. That’s the wrist that’s given him problems over the last few weeks. Four on the shot clock. David West finds a seam in that Heat defense. David West. He has all six of the Hornets points in this quarter. is part of what Pete Baskin was talking about with Kristen at halftime is that the Heat are not rotating well. They double team Paul. You got to rotate over to West. You can’t leave him open like that. 21 points for David West. Bosch answers back. Bosch has 15. Elita step slow on the defensive end tonight and the Hornets are taking advantage. Another open look for West. Bosch with a box out and it was Okafer that knocked it out of bounds. One spurt of solid defense can get the heat going in this game. That will go down as a team rebound. You have to have as many rebounds as there is offensive misses by the opponent. That’ll be a team rebound. So Duna Sasquez leading the Heat with eight rebounds. David West leading the Hornets with nine rebounds. They’re back in that zone again. Why not? It’s worked. They’ve been in it most of the night. LeBron driving on Paul. Flipped it up and it’ll go to the free throw line. Why is it so difficult for the Heat to get into the paint against the zone defense tonight? Well, they clog it up. And what happens if you’re in a in a matchup zone, Eric? You play the guy in your area, manto man. As he leaves your area, you bump him to another guy standing there who now is playing you man-to-man. So, what the Heat are trying to do at times is take advantage of screens. You do you screen just as much against a zone as you do against a man-to-man. get make use of the screen, get into the uh painted area, which LeBron just did, on the move, and that’s very difficult to guard. We’ve mentioned the last couple of nights, the third quarter has been the quarter for Miami. See if that holds true tonight. The Heat need a burst. LeBron gets a couple of free throws. LeBron James has 303 consecutive games with at least 10 points. Tonight, he has eight. And the Heat despite all their struggles ahead by one. And LeBron when he doesn’t have a good first half usually has an outstanding third quarter. Trickled off the rim for Arza. Put back missed by West and another foul on Miami. The New Orleans Hornets have been relentless on the offensive glass tonight. They are really hurting Miami in that regard. And sometimes the Heat uh bigs are getting caught under the rim, under the backboard. Very difficult to rebound from out there. You got to come out a little bit out in front of the rim to get some rebounds. Foul was on Elgasquez. That’s his third. The New Orleans Hornets this year. You ready for this? They ranked 29th in a 30 team league in offensive rebounds with under nine a game. They have offensive rebounded well so far. They had seven in the first half. And David West has been the number one culprit. He had five offensive rebounds in the first half alone. It’s interesting. He had seven offensive rebounds, but only six second chance points at halftime. Usually, you have more. David West with the last 12 Hornets points. Matter of fact, he has been their offense. He’s the only Hornet to score here in the third quarter. Aoyo is open. Kaboom. Good pass from LeBron. Good skip pass. Carlos Royo now with seven points. LeBron James with his sixth assist. On the road when the Heat were exchanging baskets at Golden State in Sacramento, all of a sudden they just went on a burst and opened up the game both games in the third quarter. Hornets scored 31 in the second quarter. Belly Nelli got in. Elascus picking up a fourth foul. What happens with Elascus, Eric, he’s 35 going on 36. He’s his feet are not as quick as they used to be, especially with those operations he had earlier in his career. So, he uses his hands a lot and that’s why he gets in foul trouble. So, 14 fouls in the first five minutes of this quarter and four personal fouls on heat starting centers. He will give way to Eric Dampier. Dampier now stepping onto the floor. Miami Hoopsgeear.com offering you some great holiday specials now through December 20th. Shopmiami hoops.com. Spend $50 or more, you get a free 8×10 photograph of Bosch, James, and Wade while supplies last. Log on to miam hoopscar.com right now to get the Heat fan in your life. The hottest gifts for the holiday season. Billy Nelly now with seven points after making both free throws. 17 of 20 at the foul line tonight. They’re ahead by one. Bosch got the baseline, got the slam. Good pass from Aoyo. Bosch caught it in momentum. Took it with that right hand to the basket. We know he can go either way, right or left to the rim. Miami starting to find their way on the offensive end, shooting 51%, only two turnovers. Now they got to solve their rebounding and defensive deficiencies. David West against Bosch. Got a step and gets another foul. Oh my. Scott Foster just giving Dwayne Wade a a warning. Don’t overreact to a foul like that. You’ll get a technical next time. And remember, Wade already has a technical foul in this game. One more, he’d be ejected. No, that’s right. See, Wade’s reaction got forced to point it to him and said something. And if he gives him another tech, Wade will be out like you said. Foul was on Chris Bosch. And David West already 23 points, 10 rebounds. He is now 9 for12 at the foul line for David West. Only his fourth double double of the year. He’s already near his rebounding high for the season. Had 13 boards against Oklahoma City. Bosch has some blood on his shorts. Referee’s going to let him go to the bench, take care of it. [Applause] Talked about the offensive execution. Carlos Aoya was a field point guard getting the ball to the right people at the right time. You can see Chris Bosch caught that with West trying to catch up. He never did. He got by him for the dunk. That’s an in the lane replay brought to you by Maroon. Remember all 30 Maroon service lines are open 7 days a week. Visit maroon service.com and a look at the Foxmo version of Chris Bosch’s slam dunk. You know Tony, the Hornets came in here with a 14-9 record and eight losses in their last 11 games. But taking a closer look at that, some of their more recent losses coming at Utah, two losses to San Antonio, two losses to Oklahoma City, and a loss to the Red Hot Knicks. So, the Hornet recent losses have come against some quality competition. Yes. And you know, in the NBA, schedules are important. I believe it was the Lakers who opened up with a lot of games at home, got off to a fast start, and once they went on the road, they started losing. Now, the Heat have a second best home record in the Eastern Conference at 10 and three, trailing only the Celtics, who are 10 and one at home. Miami’s won four in a row here at home and eight in a row overall. All eight of those wins by at least 10 points. One of the great double figure win streaks in NBA history. Only five longer streaks by double digits in NBA history. But can it live another night? West ties the game at 65. Coach Folster will take a two-point win tonight. You’re not worrying about the streak. David West with 24 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Pete going with a Royo. James Bosch damp here and Wade. James just turned it over. Arriza ahead for West. He got back well that time. Was Arza with the steal. He knocked it away. Trevor Riza very good defender. Belly Nelly for three and the rebound taken by Amecha Okafer and the problems continue for Miami on the defensive glass. 50/50 situations and he talk about it all the time. They were great on the road getting those rebounds. You know 50/50 is a situation where either T can get the ball, loose ball, rebound. Tonight the the Hornets are really doing a good job in those situations. Bosch had 17 rebounds Saturday. He’s got four tonight. That counts and the foul. He had to zigan zag and weave his way in there, but he got there. Change of direction by LeBron. He gets into the lane. He goes left to right. We talked about the second in the NBA in scoring in the third quarter to Camello Anthony. Let’s see if he explodes in the rest of this quarter. Been amazing. Matter of fact, Tony, the Heat have been amazing in the last two third quarters, shooting 77% against the Warriors and Kings. They went 14 of 18 from the floor at Golden State on Friday. made 13 of their 17 shots in the third quarter at Sacramento on Saturday. And in the last two third quarters, the Heat have outscored the opposition 67- 40. Tonight, they’ve outscored New Orleans 14- 11, just barely enough to give the Heat a two-point lead. LeBron is the guy who get, as you mentioned, he’s had such good third quarters that he gets the Heat momentum and then everyone picks up the uh the slack. They they they play tougher defense at the other end. They get into the passing lanes. They give up one shot at the basket and they get out running and the momentum is what’s carried them especially the last two games in the third quarter. Mecha Okafer picked up the last foul. LeBron James has already extended one streak. 304 consecutive double figure games on your Marines.com leaderboard. LeBron looking to extend another streak. He’s gone eight games in a row with at least one three. Hasn’t made one tonight, but he does have 11 points. And by the way, all three of Miami’s turnovers. The Heat lead by three. 535 left. Third quarter. Can the Heat lift their defense and their rebounding to a level where they can win. And a foul by Wade on the Belly Nelly attempt from downtown. Dwayne Wade’s first foul. Costly. Belly Nelly will get three foul shots. Dwayne Wade came out to help on the top. Got called on the foul. Hit the Belly Nelly’s hand. Looked like his left hand as he ran by. Belly Nelly is going to get three. As you mentioned, Eric, Foxmo gives you a beautiful look at it. And you see Wade hand-to-hand contact. Marco Bellinelli from Bolognia, Italy. Played five years professionally in Italy before two years with the Warriors and one year with the Raptors. He also is a member of the Italian national team. And don’t be surprised that he has a place in the coach’s heart. That’s right. How’d you guess that? She was a former 18th pick. First round pick by Golden State. 81% foul shooter. Makes two of the three. Marco Bellyelli with nine points. The Heat with a one-point lead. A nailbiter here in Miami so far. James powering his way in. That is what we’ve been waiting for tonight. The zone is giving you shots. LeBron now taking his liberties down the lane. That might have been a manto man. and the Reza picked him up at the top of the key and stayed with him. So, I think that was the manto man that time. Five straight points for LeBron. David West backing up and sticking it in. David West, he had 15 points in the first half. He has 11 here in the third quarter. A 26-point game for West. And you got to love the pace he plays at. It’s his own pace. He never gets panicky and he just plays and he makes it look easy just like Chris Paul does. And yes, now they’re back in that zone. Five on the shot clock. Here’s Bosch with three to shoot. Flips it up and got fouled. Well, the Heat are picking their spots. They’re finally getting into the paint with some regularity. Well, you know, when they double team on the top, either LeBron or D Wayade, that opens it up. So, there’s only three guys left in the zone. So, there’s a lot of pockets in the zone that you can drive. Third foul on Acha Okafer. Third team foul on the New Orleans Hornets. LeBron James during the eight-game winning streak averaging 26 points on 54% shooting. Bosch at the line now with 17 points. Hey Heat fans, how nuts are you about your Miami Heat? How nuts about Florida wants you to submit a photo showing that you are nuts about the Heat for your chance to win two tickets to a regular season home game, plus a lot more. Ready for this? Log on to heat.com/nuts for more information. So, we want a nutty photo. Eight points in the quarter for Bosch. Actually, seven in the quarter for Bosch. He’s got 18 points for the game. The Heat lead by three. Bosch, by the way, averaging just under 18 points a game. Chris Paul just barely turns the corner where he found the wideopen Willie Green. What a perfect pass under duress by Chris Paul. Not unexpected. That’s the way he plays. That’s why I think he’s the best point guard in the NBA. His fifth assist, half of what he averages. The number three assist man in the NBA this year. Wade with four minutes left. Third quarter. Almost lost the ball. Dampier recovering it. Five on the shot clock. LeBron for three. Bosch could not hold on. Wade saves it into LeBron. Aoyo. Nope. Wade flying. But the rebound to Paul. Oh, they’re very active under the basket. You like the fact that the Heat were active even though they didn’t get that rebound. That’s the way you have to play. Let’s see if this can spur them on. Dwayne Wade inducing that foul against Chris Paul. Wade almost seeking out the contact. Picks up the third foul of the game on the Hornets talented point guard. And it’ll be Heat Paul on the side. Both teams now are in the penalty the rest of the quarter. Well, the Heat active but missing in that last offensive skirmish. Jawan Howard in. Chris Bosch to the bench with 19 points and five rebounds. Jawan Howard, the 17-year veteran out of Michigan, playing in his 17th game off the bench for the Heat. That’s Aaron Gray off the Hornets bench. Just his third game of the year. Giving David West a breather. David West sits down. He’s been the most impressive Hornet tonight. 26 points and 10 rebounds. 11 of those points in this period. Willie Green is taking his turn defending Wade. And Wade dribbling it off a shoe top out of bounds. Last touch by a Hornet. Each shooting 51% with three turnovers. You would think they would be comfortably ahead. The Hornets, however, 49% only five turnovers and a nine rebound advantage. Both teams, by the way, identical from the free throw line. 20 for 25. [Applause] 7 seconds left on the 24sec clock. LeBron against the long armed in trouble. Oh my. From behind the backboard. What a shot. An incredible shot by LeBron James. I don’t know how he even saw the basket, much less put the ball in the basket. Sometimes, Eric, when you have to shoot the ball, you just seem to relax and get it up there. You got nothing to lose. The shot clock is going to go off. You see the shot clock up there. One second on the clock. He had to shoot it high in the air to get it over the corner of the backboard. If that’s a game of horse, he’s going home a winner. Look where he shot that from. Wow. What an outstanding shot by LeBron James. This crowd still buzzing over that basket. But on the ensuing possession, Dwayne Wade picked up a second foul and Chris Paul is at the line. What an unbelievable shot by LeBron James, giving him 15 points, eight in this quarter. Reminds you of that shot Anthony Carter made against the Knicks way back when in the playoffs. in a crucial situation at the Garden. Gave the Heat a 7877 win in that game. I like the fact you remembered the score. Of course, Chris Paul now with 10 points. Miami is up by one. James actually has nine of his 15 in this quarter. Here’s Wade short on the three. Rebound bounces back to Eric Dampier. Dampier sets the screen. Wade splits the D, draws the foul. Basket won’t count. Basket does not count. Eric Dampier, he sets a screen. The defender disappears. And LeBron James with the best, maybe the most difficult shot of the season so far, shooting it high over the backboard through the net. Pretty shot. James had a terrific game. 38 points, eight assists, five rebounds without committing a turnover. The Cavaliers come to Miami. Of course, the Heat won that game 118 to 90 back on the 2nd of December. A game that brought the Heat closer together. Now, the Cavaliers coming back to Miami Wednesday night. A 7:00 uh start here on Sun Sports with Heat Live. 7:30 the tip. Good seats are still available for the Heaton Cavaliers. great lower level seats or uptown for a great low price. You can buy your tickets online at heat.com or see it on Sun Sports Wednesday. Eric, in this game, the biggest lead by both teams has been six. The lead changes have been 16. The game has been tied 11 times. And in this quarter, neither team has led by more than three points. And that point from the free throw line, Dwayne Wade’s first point of the second half after a 24-point first half. Wade getting 20 points in the second quarter. That’s a Heat second quarter record. Tim Hardaway and Sherman Douglas, two point guards from the pass, both had 19 point second quarters during their careers in Miami. 26 for Wade. The Heat lead by three. 230 left here in the third quarter. Eric Reed, Tony Fantino, Jason Jackson, and the Sun Sports crew. Happy you’ve joined us on a big game NBA Monday. Jared Jack with three on the shot clock. Jack hitting the runner. Coach, he has helped them since coming over in the trade with the Raptors that sent Pasia Stoyakovich north of the border. Jack’s got a scorer’s mentality, Eric. He’s He’s much better driving the ball than he is shooting it as you saw right there. Six points for Jared Jack. LeBron open for three. Nope. LeBron James 0 for two from downtown tonight. And the Hornets will get the ball back. 26 points for Dwayne Wade, 19 for Chris Bosch, 15 for LeBron James for the Hornets. David West with a 26 point, 10 rebound night. Chris Paul with 10 points, five rebounds, five assists. Wade sits down. Ariel Chmer’s in the game. So is James Jones. You can see the way this game’s going. LeBron and Dwayne are going to have to play big minutes in that fourth quarter and also Chris Bosch. Jack turned it over, dribbled it off his foot. Dampier picks up the free ball. Very low turnover game. The Hornets with six, Miami only three. Each shooting 50 from both teams actually shooting 50%. Statistically, it’s like looking at a mirror. The Heat are 25 of 50 from the floor. The Hunich 26 of 52. Both teams are 22 of 27 at the foul line. The biggest statistical difference rebounding where the Hornets maintain an eight board edge. Foul there was against Smith and Mario Chammers hits the first. Jason Smith with his second foul. Three points for Mario Chomers, who’s averaged 20, actually he’s played over 20 minutes in eight of the Heat’s last nine games. 12 for 12 now from the foul line for the season. The Heat have hit 24 of 29 at the line. They’re up by three, but it is an uneasy lead at best. You’d like to take advantage with Chris Paul out of the game. Jarrett Jack picking up his dribble and getting no not getting it back from Jason Smith. Four on the shot clock. This is Willie Green pump faking, firing and missing. And the rebound to James. Excellent defense by LeBron. Did not go for the fake of Willie Green. Forced him into a tough shot. The rookie Pond Dexter defending LeBron. Vampier sets the screen, frees James. And LeBron will get to the free throw line. But how about three different defenders tracking down Miami’s LeBron James. How about LeBron using both hands to get to elude defenders at 68 260. You know about his ball handling skills. He’s got the the ball handling skills of a point guard. Aaron Gray picking up his fourth foul and only eight minutes of playing time. LeBron has 16 points. So he has 10 of them in this court, right? He has responded in this quarter like he usually does. Not as spectacularly as he did in the last two games, but he’s getting the job done. He had just two free throw attempts in the first half. This is his fifth free throw of the third quarter. And he stays perfect at the line. LeBron seven for seven. He has 17. Miami has opened up a five-point lead. Home crowd wants some defense. Jared Jack drives in, finds a wideopen rookie Quincy Pond Dexter who air balls the three and Aaron Gray swept it out of bounds. Good box out by Damp here. Gray couldn’t get to it, so he tried to tap it to a teammate who wasn’t there. The 22-year-old rookie Quincy Pond Dexter in his 17th NBA game. He was inactive for the first three. 20 seconds left in the third quarter. LeBron against Pond Dexter. Runs in. Aaron Gray got the basket and the foul. Gray’s fifth and LeBron is feeling it now. He’s fired up. Got the crowd in the game. Having another real good third quarter. LeBron James, man. He gives the Heat the biggest lead of the game at seven points. Watch this move again. again using more than one hand in a sequence and went right to left. He like D. Wayade would rather go left to the basket than go right. They’re very good with that left hand. It was Dwayne Wade that scored 20 of his 24 in the second quarter. And now LeBron James has taken over the third period. LeBron with 13 points in this quarter. He’ll probably get a rest at the beginning of the fourth and D. Wade will start the fourth quarter. Willie Green on the move, finds Pond Dexter underneath. Won’t count. An offensive foul. And it’s James Jones who draws his team leading 12th charge of the year and saves a score for Miami. Read an article with James commenting about, you know, I know some of these charges I’m going to take. I’m going to be feeling it the next day, but it’s something I’ve always done. I did it at American High School and I did it at the University of Miami. James gets it into Jawan Howard. Two seconds left in the quarter. LeBron just lets the time run out. The Heat end the third quarter on an eight-2 run and Miami goes up by seven. What a quarter for LeBron James. He scored 13 of his majestic 19 points. Took control of the game. We talked about getting momentum going into the fourth quarter. LeBron James at it again, baby, in the third quarter. As we turn the page for quarter four inside the Heat House, Heat Basketball on Sun Sports being presented by AT&T Universe with Jason Jackson, Tony Fear and Tino and the Sun Sports crew. I’m Eric Breen. Here’s a look at your allyear cooling hustle board. The Heat closing the gap a little bit. Still being outrebounded 31 to 23. Even with only two second chance points, they do have six blocks. Three coming from Zadrunus Elgasquez in the first half. He come up with a steal. James getting it quickly across. Fourth quarter is just getting started here in Miami. And he comes out with the same five that ended the third quarter. D Way’s getting extended rest here. James Chomers, Howard, Dampier, and James Jones. LeBron comes up short and the rebound knocked out of bounds by both Jason Smith and Jawan Howard. Curtis Blair, the official underneath, didn’t get a good look at it. Now he’ll look for help. He’s calling for a jump ball. And now they change the call and the Hornets will regain possession. Eric, in that first uh in that uh in this game, James, Wade, and Bosch, 28 free throw attempts. The New Orleans Hornets 27. So the three of them have more free throw attempts than the whole Hornets team. Miami shooting 50% through three quarters with only three turnovers. Jack had it blocked by James Jones. Loose ball to Chmers. Mario veering left. Seven-point lead for Miami here in the fourth quarter. The Heat’s largest lead tonight. Part of what we’re talking about with James Jones there, he’s not just a three-point shooter. He draws a charge one time and then he blocks a shot the next. Missed on the corner three and Eric Dampier, good hustle, good hands. Dampier knocked it off the body of Aaron Gray to give Miami an extended possession. James Jones leaves his man in the corner to go help on the shot. He comes over. There he comes. His man’s in the left in that right corner. He came over and blocked it. And that’s after uh you know in end of that third quarter drawing a charge. So he’s a good defender, a good rebounder. We know what kind of three-point shooter he is. His eighth block shot of the year. Bosch for the hook. It sticks. Chris Bosch just back into the game. Has 21 points. His 10th game this year with 20 points or better. You can feel the pace picking up a little bit here. Chris Paul still out of the game. Okafer on the on the foul, moving screen. He extended his arms out on Chowas trying to get over the screen. Coach, it’s a 10 to2 run for Miami and an emerging lead. The Heater up by nine and have possession. And the Heat defense has gotten a lot more livelier in this second half. And we know that when the defense is livelier, when they’re crisper, they’re they’re much better on offense. LeBron for Bosch out of the corner. Yep. LeBron James taking over the game. He didn’t score there, but he got his sixth assist, hitting his buddy Chris Bosch in the right corner, giving the Heat the biggest lead of the game at 11. Miami scored 10 straight points. They’re on a 122 run. Heat fans have jumped out of their seats and the Remember [Music] that expression, calling all cars, an old police All well in Miami it’s calling all stars. Chris Bosch is glittering. Four points here in the quarter. 23 for the night. Dwayne Wade has 26. LeBron James has 19. And the Heat suddenly ahead by 11 in what has been a dog fight most of the night. 10-10 remaining in the fourth quarter. What defense by Bosch. He took it away from David West. Came up with a loose ball and here comes LeBron getting down on the ground to get after it. 10 minutes left in the game. The Heat trying to capitalize. James comes up short and the rebound picked off the floor by Willie Green. Heat looking for their ninth consecutive win. The Hornets trying to avoid for the first time this year a three-game losing streak. Arza on the run. Trevor Arza with his first points of the second half. He’s got nine. And that’s the Heat lead 8677. Here’s [Applause] Bosch off target and David West down with rebound number 11. Dwayne Wade and Chris Paul sitting at the scorers table ready to come in next whistle. How about the rest Chris Paul has had. He’ll play the rest of the game now. He’s been out a while. Two great players having a very nice conversation at center court while they’re waiting to get in. Team on the Olympic gold medal team. gold medal bond between them. Chris Paul, one of the games great players, gold medal in 08, first team allNBA the same year. So Paul is in. Jared Jack goes to the bench and Dwayne Wade replaces LeBron James who sits down with 19 points and seven assists. LeBron is just two assists shy of 4,000 for his career. How would you like to coach a team where you bring in Darren Williams, Chris Paul, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosch off the bench. I would sign up for that. That was the Olympic team. Four on the shot clock. West put a shoulder into the chest of Bosch. Offensive foul on West. Coach, that is a badge of honor in Miami. Moving your feet, planting yourself, and taking it right in the numbers for the good of your team. We’ve said this many times. If you’re guarding the ball, you can be shuffling your feet and beat the dribbler to that spot. You can be moving and still draw the charge. Just the first foul tonight on David West. 10th turnover on New Orleans. Here’s Bosch and Trevor Arza. Acrobatic rebound for him. Actually, his first of the game. West from 20. Oh no, his fourth of the game. I’m sorry. Bosch collects his sixth rebound. Little lull right now. Momentarily probably Wade corner jumper. Heat taking some ill-advised shots there last several trips. Willie Green down the middle. Boss with a block. Yes. What a block by Chris Bosch. Green was looking for a foul, but there was none there. And then on the run now off the block. Happens many times for the Heat. Defense scores on the offense. Miami up 11 for the second time here in the fourth quarter. Ario Chomemers with a score. He has six points. 14-4 run for the Heat. Deflected ball. Wade comes up with a steal. Oh, the Heat turning up the volume on the defensive end. Yeah, turnover for Chris Paul. Wade down the lane. Oh my, what a gorgeous drive by Dwayne Wade. He took it right at the shot blocker Oakafer and twisted it in. LeBron goes out. Dwade comes in, gets to the launching pad and scores. Wade’s first field goal of the second half puts the Heat up by a game high 13 points. Wade has 28. And that’s a foul on Eric Dampier. The Heath House is buzzing over the second half performances from Dwade, LeBron James, and Chris Bos. Well, the great defense by Bosch right here. He goes up and blocks the shot. Leads to Rio’s drive at the other end. He sets up the big on the crossover dribble, and then DWade gets into the painted area. You see he uses the screen by Dampier. He just he doesn’t need much room and he gets into that what Paralli calls the launching pad and he buries the the layup. Bosch is tied as season high with three block shots tonight and that’s going to be a travel on David West. Coach, let’s be honest, West was a monster through three quarters with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Bosch has finally figured it out defensively. Yeah, he stopped him earlier and caused the turnover, then he got the charge and then then right there he forced the travel. You hear the home crowd. Miami up 13 with just over seven minutes left. Wade again drawing a foul. David West will send Dwayne Wade to the free throw strike with 28 points. He went off Damp Pier’s screen again. He’s getting loose in the lane area and we know that’s dangerous for any defensive team to try and stop. It looked like they may have still been in that zone and when Wade got into the lane, there wasn’t a guy there to help out. And you see the production is slipping for David West here in the fourth quarter. As for Dwayne Wade, 34 points on Friday in the win at Golden State, 36 points Saturday night in the win at Sacramento. And at the moment, Wade a point away from his third consecutive 30point game. It’s not a co coincidence, Eric, that the Heat seem to have better defensive uh field goal percentage in the second half of games. So maybe defensively they wear teams down. Uh New Orleans has seven second half turnovers to one for the Heat. How about Miami here in the second half opening up a 15-point lead. The Heat have outscored the Hornets 10-2 here in the fourth quarter. Foul here on Miami and it’s on Mario Chammers who has given the Heat a lift. Coach, we’ve talked about center by committee often. also point guard and the two-man committee of Aoyo and Chamers playing better as the season grows longer. What the coaches have realized is with DW and LeBron, they want a point guard on the floor in the fourth quarter. That’s another change that the coach has made since earlier in the season. The Heat had a one-point lead with two minutes and change left in the third quarter. They’ve gone on a 16-2 run ever since. Ariza drives on James. Rebound to Bosch. You can feel the defense how much better it’s gotten. No doubt. I mean, we’re almost at the what 6 and 12 minute mark. The uh the Hornets had uh 54 points at halftime. 32 for Dwayne Wade. An 18-2 run and a 17-point lead. Well, it took the heat a half to get their legs, Eric, and now they’re pouring it on. Dade loves that jump shot from the left corner. You’re watching the Miami Heat on Sun Sports presented by AT&T Universe. Hit the J on Indiana. Portland leading at Memphis. The Grizzlies have won their last two. Mavericks are trying to extend the season’s longest win streak to a 13th straight game. And Golden State hoping to end a seven game a six-game losing streak. Not an easy task in Salt Lake City. Here in Miami, the Heat have outscored the Hornets 12-2 in the fourth quarter. an 18-2 run going back into the third quarter. The Heat have opened up a 17-point lead. Look at the defense. Paul with a shot clock running out. Misses the three. Gets it back and tries again. Missed again. Ed Wade with both hands on the rebound. Locked down defense here in the fourth quarter by Miami. Well, we’ve seen that also, Eric, where the Heat contest many shots and even when guys get open shots, maybe they’re working so hard to stop the Heat from running, it may wear out the legs a little bit. Just two points here in the fourth quarter for New Orleans and we have 5 and 1/2 minutes left. LeBron out to Chomes. Long three, rims out and Chris Paul boxing out Dwayne Wade for the rebound. Hornets getting a foul from Mario Chamers. Mario Chamers picking up his third. There was no reason to reach on that player. He had good defensive position. He’s out 23 24 ft from the basket. You got to be a little more disciplined with the lead. 17-point lead. Just contain him. Fourth foul on Chomers. Fourth team foul on the Heat. The Hornets with only one foul here in the fourth quarter. 517 remaining. Heat up by 17. Belly Nelly for three. And the rebound to Bosch. That’s eight rebounds for Bosch and still only two points in the fourth quarter for New Orleans. So a 19 minutes of the second half, Eric, the Hornets have scored 23 points. Miami was trailing at the half 54 to 53. Four on the shot clock. The Hornets just one for eight in this quarter. Chimers tough shot. Dampier missing on the tip. Bosch with a rebound in traffic. He draws a foul. Time for a Chris Bosch roar. How about it? He’s thinking about it. How about Dampier keeping that ball alive on the offensive boards. Eight rebounds for both Bosch and Ilgowskis. 23 points tonight for Chris Bosch. He earned the Heat. Another possession. That was a loose ball foul. The Heat will get possession. Foul is on Trevor Arza. That’s Arza’s fourth foul. Paul against Wade. LeBron got by Arza behind his back. He almost got to grandma’s house. And the Heat again with an offensive rebound can run more clock off more seconds off the clock. LeBron James who already tonight made one of the great shots of the year behind the backboard on the angle. Here’s LeBron on the spin runs into Mecha Okafer and the leak out to Arza. Wade gets back. The misdunk by Arza. Give Dwayne Wade credit. He hustled back. He’s getting a standing ovation from some of the fans because of that hustle. That was brilliant defensive work by Dwayne Wade on a 32-point night. Well, the reason must have had about a 30ft lead on him and D. Wade got back and and made the play. Dampier keeping it alive. Bosch with another rebound. This one knocked out of his hands. 10th rebound for Bosch. So Chris Bosch gets his team leading eighth double double of the season. D Wayade on a dead sprint to the basket to play defense with the big lead late in the game. Not giving it up to Arza. Comes down and contests the dunk. Made him change the direction of it. And uh Arza Ariza can’t believe he missed that dunk. But you know D. Wade was in pursuit. I think Arza probably a little stunned that a foul wasn’t called. Wade did have the non-shot blocking hand on the chest of Trevor Arza on that play. So you and I have got it down. I’ll watch the block hand and you watch the other hand cuz I didn’t see that. I did on Good call. Yep. Miami up by 17. 339 left in the game. The Heat not only trying to extend their winning streak to a ninth straight game. Could they do it again by double figures? Could they win a ninth straight game by at least 10 points or more? We’ll find out. The home crowd still hungry, up 17. They want more. And earlier I was talking to some of the fans, a lot of fans stayed up to watch those games from the West Coast. Never surprised at that. The Hornets held up two points in this fourth quarter. They come up with a steal by Arza and that time he made sure. 11 points for the former UCLA Bruins. Miami up by 15. 325 remaining in the game. And again, the shot clocks above both baskets have blinked out for the second time in a row here late in the game. You know, Tony, we were talking about double figure winning streaks. The Heat looking for their ninth straight doubledigit win, just two shy of the all-time record held by the Houston Rockets, New Jersey Nets, and the 1946-47 Washington Capitals. Those three teams, the 0708 Rockets, the 0304 Nets, and the 4647 Capitals with 10 wins, all by double figures in their winning streaks. The last team to do it nine times was the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron’s Cavs in the 0809 season was self-stated nine straight times in the 0708 campaign. So if the Heat could do it again tonight, it would be one of the top six winning streaks by double digits in NBA history. How about the Washington Capitals? They did it in the initial year of the NBA. 46 1946 was the first year and it wasn’t called the NBA yet. Two years later they called it the NBA. the the NBA uh has its origination from uh 1946. Origination, is that a word? [Music] [Applause] They are trying to plug in a temporary shot clock. This is what they used to do in the NBA. They had the clocks on in the corners. See, I I need this guy working in my house in case the cable ever goes. This is old school. We’re going back. Where’s Jax? Going back old school. Now the Miami Heat with only five turnovers tonight. They’ve shot 46% and they have taken over the second half. The Heat were up one late in the third quarter. They put together a sparkling 18-2 run to open the lead up to 17. At the moment it is 15. Well, you hope there’s no shot at the buzzer here because there won’t be any lights on around the backboard, I believe. Yeah, I don’t see the temporary shot clock working either in that in that right corner. [Applause] And if there’s a power outage, thank goodness it’s the clocks and not the heat. There we go. One shot clock working. 10 seconds on the shot clock right now. 320 remaining here in the fourth quarter. Shot clock was reset to 20. Excuse me. [Applause] Some sports viewers can see that shot clock right in that lower right hand corner. James back to Wade. Good catch. And the rebound down to David West. That’s his 12th. Dwayne Wade with 32 points. Chris Bosch 23 with 10 rebounds. Paul missed it. Okafer won’t count. He pushed off on the rebound. Right now, Tony, the Hornets have that losing look to them. You can see it in their body language. looking to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season. If they should fall tonight, it would be nine losses in their last 12 games following an 8 and0 start. Keep back a look at tonight’s Land Rover drive of the game courtesy of Mr. LeBron James. The shot of the night, one of the shots of the year in the NBA. Game of horse, he wins. He’s on his way home with everybody’s lunch money over the sevenfooter A Gray. and also by the way over the top of the backboard. Two of his 19 points tonight. But coach, the story here in the fourth quarter has been defense. The Hornets held the four points on two for 11 shooting in this quarter. Only 2 minutes 55 seconds left in the fourth. The heater ahead by 15. Miami going with Mario Chamos, LeBron James, Chris Bosch, Eric Dampier, and Dwayne Wade. You’ve heard of starting fives. This is your finishing five. Dwayne Wade with 32 points, his third straight game with over 30. LeBron missing on the three. Dampier tipped it out, but right to his Hornet player. Only thing LeBron James has not done tonight is make a three and so far has not extended his eightgame three-point streak. Now the Heat defense has really gotten down to business. Late foul on LeBron James. Rodney Mott called it late. Trevor Oriza will get three foul shots with 221 to play. Second foul on LeBron. How about the Let’s see this again. Well, we couldn’t tell on the replay. the uh Mario Chambers came in for a royal midway through the third quarter and hasn’t gone out. Been in the whole time in the second half. Mario Chammers has played 25 minutes, has six points, three assists, made all four of his free throws. [Applause] And Chamers tonight playing without committing a turnover. [Applause] Chmer’s just nine turnovers in his first 16 games this year. [Applause] Trevor Orzo with 13 points and Chris Bosch. Tony, what you like most about Bosch, at least what I do, is his bluecollar work. Great to see him get 23 points. I think it’s better to see him follow up his 17 rebound game with an 11 rebound effort tonight. No doubt. And you know, early in the game were struggling switching positions, power forward center. Since he’s played the power forward position, it’s been much better for him. You know, interesting story I’d like to share with the home viewers right now. Moments after the Heat had beaten Sacramento on Saturday night after we signed off our telecast. I saw Bosch standing on the court and I went up to him. I said, “Chris, you just did man’s work getting 17 rebounds in the fourth game of a six-game road trip in a six night road trip.” And you know what his first response to me? He said, “I should have got 20 rebounds.” Don’t you love that? I did love that. I told him, “We enjoyed every one of your 17.” But I just love that attitude. He had 17 boards. Best rebounding game of the season for Miami. And all he was thinking of was, “I should have got 20.” That’s what makes him a winner. Never satisfied. Dan Pier with a foul. Chris Paul. Tony. A very quiet night for the two-time all-star. 10 points, five assists, and eight rebounds. So Paul, who averages 10 assists, has just nine in the last two games. 91% foul shooting. Made one of the two. Chris Paul Manite does not have a steel. Paul had come into the game leading the league in steals and 13 consecutive games with at least one steel. Miami’s lead is down to 12. It was up to as many as 17 earlier in this quarter. LeBron with a left hand will go to the free throw line on the foul from Amecha Okafer. Amecca picks up his fifth. Actually, that’s his sixth. He has fouled out of the game. [Music] So, Mecca Okafer, who riddled Miami in New Orleans back in early November with a season high 26 points. Tonight, he fouls out with nine points and six rebounds, but four of five shooting, which makes him in two games against the Heat 16 of 18 from the floor. Not bad. But you know, in that 26-point game he had, he also had 13 rebounds. So that he held him in check tonight. Seven less than he got the last time. So Mecca Okafer finishing up what was his 281st consecutive game. He hasn’t missed one in the last four seasons. All 82 the last three years. And he’s played in every game this season. People forget he was the rookie of the year the same year that Dwight Howard came out. Dwight Howard taken by Orlando with a first pick in 2004. and a Mecha Okafer off his 2004 NCAA championship and bronze medal was the second pick in the draft. He’s also the most outstanding player in that final four. LeBron with 20 points. So, LeBron has reached the 20point mark in 21 of the last 23 games Miami has played. It’s a 13-point lead for the Heat. 129 to go as the Heat zero in on a ninth consecutive win. Eric, this quarter New Orleans has seven field goals, seven turnovers, and only 28 points in the second half. As you said, the Heat have done it on defense. Now, want to hear something remarkable? Miami’s magnificent trio, Blaine Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Posh. You know how many points they have tonight? Take a guess. 75 it is for the fourth game in a row. the trio when they score 70 points or better. They’ve done it nine times. The Heat have won eight of those games. How about 75 points by those three guys, four consecutive games. If the Heat hold on here, they’ll have a nineame winning streak all by double figures. We’ll see if that occurs. Impressive second half for Miami. They got the wakeup call after the Hornets were ahead at halftime 54 to 53. He’s got Cleveland coming in Wednesday night and then at Madison Square Garden Friday night. The Hornets with just seven points in the fourth quarter. They have now shot two for 12 in the final period. Dwayne Wade down with a rebound. It’s a 32 for Wade, 23 for Bosch, 20 points for LeBron. Bosch lobbing for Dampier and Chris Paul. It could have been a lot worse. He softened it up when he came around with a partial headlock of the taller, stronger, and meaner Eric Dampier. Well, you don’t want to give up a dunk. And Dampier this year is four for six from the foul line in limited action. So, put him on the line. Miami taking their 37th and 38th free throws of the night. Antonio Tony David West, who was the best player for New Orleans tonight, he had 26 points and 11 rebounds through three quarters. He has just one rebound and has not scored here in the fourth. Chris Bosch’s defense, remember those three straight plays he made when West caught the ball? It was a scramble. He knocked it away, got possession, and then he uh threw a charge and then he blocked the shot. Dwayne Wade and LeBron James getting their curtain call here. Wade sits down 32 points. His third game in a row with 30 or better. LeBron goes to the bench with 20 points, seven assists, and four rebounds. And Boss sits down with 23 points and 11 rebounds. The sixth time this year Weights had 30 or more points. So, it will be the fourth consecutive game the Heat Trio registers 75 points. tonight at 75 of Miami’s 96 points. We’re in our final minute of the game. Quincy Pondexter tonight at the summit by Eric Damp here. The block party has been amazing for Miami tonight. Nine block shots in the game for the Heat and it’s come from five different players, three apiece for Bosch and Zadruna Silkowski. He had nine the other night in Sacramento. Miami will hold a ninth straight opponent under 100 points. Second best streak in the NBA to Portland’s 10 straight. [Applause] Jared Jack underneath for Quincy Pond Dexter. [Applause] And the Heat will commit their fewest turnovers in a game this season. Just the fourth time all year they’ve been under 10. The Heat, the best team in the league taking care of the basketball. That was on display tonight, Tony. A season low. Six turnovers for the Heat. Offensive efficiency, Eric. A goal of a coach is not to score every time down. That’s unreasonable, but you can try to get a good shot every time down. If you can do that, you’ve got a good chance of putting a lot of pressure on the other team. The Hornets will fall to 14 and 10 and suffer their first three-game losing streak of the season. The Heat will boost their record to 18 and8. Second best record in the East and the second best home record as well at 11 and three. The Bell tolls for another Heat opponent. Tony, the winning streak stays alive. Nine straight wins, all of them by at least 10 points. And nine straight wins holding an opponent under 100 points. The Heat hold the Hornets to nine points in the fourth quarter and 30 points in the second half. After a slow start, the Heat able to work their way toward win number 18. So, a very pleasing victory when it’s all said and done for Miami. And another strong effort from Chris Bosch. 23 points, 11 rebounds, and a one-way ticket to the winner circle. Eric.

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