Do not be fooled by the final score. The Heat did not almost lose to the Carlos Boozer-less, Andrei Kirilenko-less Jazz. Shawn Marion's steal with two minutes and 52 seconds left to play made it a 93-82 game. Utah just made a last-minute surge that ultimately came to no avail. Six players hit double figures in points for Miami, with migraine-riddled Dwyane Wade leading the way.
The game stayed close for the entire first half, and Miami led 47-45 at intermission. The Heat won this game in the third quarter. Wade, who started off cool, scored nine points in the third quarter, helping the Heat make a decisive 16-2 run. With three quarters in the books, Miami led 65-74. On the defensive end, Miami was able to shut Utah down with the help of center Joel Anthony. Anthony blocked four shots in the third quarter, but also altered a few more shots and made Utah's perimeter players settle for jump shots.
Miami's lead stayed around 10 or 12 points for the first 10 minutes of the fourth quarter. Mario Chalmers had two nice steals off of Jazz star Deron Williams in the final period, both leading to easy fast-break opportunities. Chalmers was eaten alive by Utah's pick-and-roll offense, but those two moments were highlights for the rookie point guard.
Chalmers finished with 10 points on five-of-five shooting from the free-throw line, five assists and three steals. On the other hand, Chalmers had five turnovers, not a good sign from your point guard. Chalmers' assist-to-turnover ratio last night was 1:1, something that cannot continue for the Miami Heat.
The player who one may expect to have the most turnovers on Miami is Dwyane Wade. This time, however, the 6-foot-4 guard out of Marquette did not turn the ball over once. Wade was limited to 32 minutes of playing time due to foul trouble, but this is an encouraging sign from Miami's star guard. Wade also had 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field, five rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocked shots. And yes, he still leads the League in scoring.
Erik Spoelstra's forward duo of Marion and Udonis Haslem delivered again. Marion had 15 points on 7-for-12 shooting and eight rebounds while Haslem finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds, eight of which were offensive boards. Marion and Haslem were also helped that they did not have to defend Andrei Kirilenko or Carlos Boozer, who were both out with injuries.
Rookie Michael Beasley had another solid offensive game off the bench with 12 points on six-for-nine shooting. Unfortunately, Beasley only got 18 minutes of playing time. That was probably because Beasley had two fouls in the first quarter and turned the ball over five times. I like the fact that Spoelstra is making Beasley earn his minutes. People have told me that Pat Riley should have drafted O.J. Mayo, but Mayo is playing 39 minutes per game. Beasley is only playing 28 minutes. And the fact that the star forward out of Kansas State is having to earn his minutes will make him a better player.
Last night, it was Daequan Cook, not Beasley, who did most of the damage for Miami off of the bench. Cook had 10 points in the first half before missing everything the rest of the way. But Cook's first-half contribution should not be understated. Wade and Beasley both got into early foul trouble, and Cook's shooting helped Miami to a two-point halftime lead before the third quarter run.
Not only were Boozer and Kirilenko out, Williams (who recently suffered a hip flextor) and All-Star Mehmet Okur also had off shooting nights. But this team is improving. After a blowout loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, this team won three of its next four games on the road trip. This team could be beginning to feel buoyant. Boston, Detroit, Cleveland, Orlando and Atlanta are the only teams more than one game above .500 in the East. The door is wide open for the Heat to rise up in the standings.
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