Heat Rallies From 20 Down, Burn Warriors 114-107

On any given night, the Golden State Warriors can put on an offensive display that would on most nights overwhelm their opponents. But on the flip side, they also give up as many – if not more – points, as well.

Saturday night at American Airlines Arena would have the promise of offensive fireworks as the Miami Heat welcomed Golden State. While the offense was there, it was a tale of two halves by both teams.

As has been a recurring theme, the Warriors would hold a substantial lead, only to have it evaporate. Up by as many as 20 in the first half, the Warriors’ lead slowly dwindled while Miami rallied in the second half and churned out the 114-107 win over Golden State.

The Warriors had a pair of 36-point quarters in the first half, holding four 20-point leads while giving up the final six points of the half, going to their locker room with a 72-58 cushion.

The third quarter would be a totally different proposition.

Miami forced Golden State to miss its first nine shots, starting the half with a 15-3 run while holding the Warriors to just 12 points in the third. When Chris Bosh made two free throws, giving the Heat an 85-84 edge with 11:27 left in the fourth, they took their first lead since the halfway point of the opening period.

Golden State’s Dorell Wright made things interesting down the stretch when he connected on a 3-pointer – his sixth of the game – with 5:18 remaining, then hit on a layup which brought the Warriors to within 100-96 about a minute later.

It would be the last gasp for Golden State as Mario Chalmers drained a trey, then LeBron James made a pair of free throws with 3:14 left, giving Miami a 105-96 lead and sealing the game.

Dwyane Wade and James shared high-scoring honors for the Heat, with both scoring 25 points apiece – with Wade grabbing 6 rebounds, dishing out 8 assists, along with 2 steals and a block while James grabbed 7 caroms, dished out 10 assists, along with a steal and a block. Bosh added 20 with 11 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block.

The Warriors were led by Wright with a game-high 30 points (including six 3-pointers) with 2 rebounds, an assist, 2 steals and a block while Monta Ellis added 25 (including three treys) with 3 rebounds, 7 assists and a steal along with 5 turnovers. Stephen Curry chipped in 15 with 2 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals while David Lee notched a double-double, scoring 13 with 12 boards.

Both teams return to action on Monday night as Miami (26-9) travels north to Charlotte to take on the Bobcats while Golden State (13-20) makes the short commute up the Florida coastline to Orlando where they will face the Magic.

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