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The Miami Heat continued their supreme defense of the AAA court on Tuesday night when they defeated the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers 107-91. Former Cav LeBron James had a solid night against his former club, scoring 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting, which included the usual amount of impressive plays. He added 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and a blocked shot in a well-rounded game.
LeBron and Dwyane Wade did a good job of entertaining the home crowd, as this is the last opportunity they get to see the Heat for almost two weeks. Wade also had a solid game, leading all scorers with 26 points, which included a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Wade also contributed 4 boards, 6 assists, 3 steals and a block, as he continues to look more and more like himself.
The Heat maintained their lead throughout the second half, though they did close this game out in the same way they have their previous two games. The ‘Big 5' made another appearance, this time with just over 5 minutes left in the game and Miami leading by 10. The lineup would finish with a +6 rating, with the Heat getting a nice 16-point win.
The Cavaliers were led by Antawn Jamison, who scored 20 of his team-leading 25 points in the first half. It was the first time in almost two years that Jamison put up a 20-point half. That effort, combined with an early third quarter run by his Cleveland teammates, gave the Cavs their one and only lead of the second half at 66-63. Miami quickly responded with a run of their own, capped off by a LeBron James dunk.
GAME NOTES
- The Miami Heat are now 19-6, which is the best 25-game start in franchise history.
- Mario Chalmers added 14 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds and a steal. He hit 4 triples, which matches a season-high that he has reached five times now.
- Chris Bosh came away one rebound shy of a double double, popping in 15 points and 9 boards.
- Udonis Haslem had an equally solid game, finishing with 14 points and 8 rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench.
- The bench as a whole was awesome for the Heat. The four reserve players combined to finish with a +76 rating.
- Anderson Varejao picked up another double double, with 11 points and 11 boards. Its his 13th of the young season, and 4th in a row. He's had at least 9 rebounds in nine straight games.
The Heat now head up to Orlando to complete their latest back-to-back set. The Magic are 4 games behind the Heat in the Southeast Division.