NorthIowaToday.com

Founded in 2010

News & Entertainment for Mason City, Clear Lake & the Entire North Iowa Region

Heat falls to Bucks as LeBron’s 40 points not enough

By Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel –

MILWAUKEE — LeBron James had it all at the start.

And the Miami Heat were having their way.

But as they learned the previous time they played the Milwaukee Bucks, Scott Skiles’ teams don’t go down easy. And they rarely go away.

So even with James scoring 24 first-quarter points and the Heat pushing their lead to 18 early in the second quarter, the end result is an 0-2 record against Skiles’ Bucks this season.

This time it was a 105-97 loss Wednesday night at the Bradley Center, a loss every bit as ugly as when the Heat blew a 17-point lead three weeks ago in an overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors.

Simply put, James cooled and the Heat fizzled against second-tier competition.

After the opening period, James scored just two in the second period. He came around to close with a season-high 40, but they weren’t enough.

Ultimately, even lacking sidelined center Andrew Bogut, the Bucks proved that their victory a week ago Sunday at AmericanAirlines Arena was no fluke.

The loss cost the Heat an opportunity to move into first place in the Eastern Conference, after the Chicago Bulls lost earlier in the night to the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Heat entered having won five in a row and eight of nine.

This time, though, there was another reality one driven home when Bucks guard Brandon Jennings, who closed with 31 points, drained a pair of 3-pointers to put Milwaukee up 98-82 with 4:25 to play, turning James’ first-quarter joy to ultimate misery.

It ended with the smallish crowd chanting, “Over-rated! Over-rated!”

Up 60-47 at halftime, the Heat saw the Bucks score the first eight points of the third quarter and later pull within two. The Heat went into the fourth up 79-76.

The Bucks then tied it 79-79 early in the fourth on an Ersan Ilyasova 3-point play and then moved to their first lead since 7-4.

And never looked back.

Skiles knew this would not be a repeat of his team’s 91-82 victory a week ago Sunday at AmericanAirlines Arena, a game played at a deliberate pace.

Instead his team found the offense needed even with Bogut sidelined by a fractured left ankle.

Wade, who missed the teams’ previous meeting with a sprained right ankle, closed with 23 points. His first steal gave him 1,000 for his career, making him the 11th active player with 1,000 steals and 500 blocked shots, a group that includes James.

Going in, Skiles said in his pregame media session, “Holding them to 82 points is not likely to happen again. Dwyane Wade is back and they’re very good.”

After the first quarter, it appeared the new goal would be holding James to 82 points.

James, who Thursday night will be named an All-Star Game starter along with Wade, dictated play at the outset.

James scored 24 points in the first quarter since April 11, 2008, when James, playing for Cleveland Cavaliers. It was the highest scoring total in an opening period for the Heat since Voshon Lenard scored 25 on Dec. 3, 2003.

James, in fact, accounted for 31 of the Heat’s first 42 points, when accounting for three first-quarter assists that led to seven points.

It was the fifth time James scored 24 or more in a quarter, including the second time he has done it against the Bucks.

Going in, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra made it clear to his players that the Bucks posed an ongoing threat.

“They outplayed us and took it to us,” Spoelstra said of the loss a week ago Sunday. “They dictated their identity.”

That identity returned midway through the second quarter.

Earlier, Spoelstra’s players followed his pregame message to perfection early in taking a 40-23 lead into the second period.

“We want to get out to a good start and we really want to set the tone defensively,” he said, with the Bucks held to 35-percent shooting in the opening period and committing five turnovers over the 12 minutes.

The Heat, by contrast, shot 14 of 17 in the first quarter, including 5 of 5 on 3-pointers.

“We played at their pace,” Spoelstra said of the teams’ previous meeting. “They caught us and they beat us.”

This time, the Bucks went about it by playing catch up, storming all the way back.

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Even more news:

Watercooler

Need help with your website?
Call your local professional,
Breakthrough Web Design:
515-897-1144
or go to
BreakthroughWebDesign.com

Copyright 2024 – Internet Marketing Pros. of Iowa, Inc.
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x