The AP reports: Rudy Fernandez scored 25 points, including a clutch spinning jumper as the shot clock expired with 44.9 seconds left, and the Blazers celebrated Oden’s comeback from a sprained right foot with a 104-96 victory over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night. Brandon Roy scored 22 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 14 for the Trail Blazers. Oden, the 2007 No. 1 overall pick who missed all of last season and hadn’t played since getting hurt in this season’s opener, finished with three points and two rebounds in 16 minutes… Michael Beasley and Daequan Cook each scored 11 points for Miami, while Chris Quinn scored 10 and Udonis Haslem finished with 11 rebounds. Miami had 19 turnovers that Portland turned into 26 points.
Category: Miami Heat Blog
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Joel Anthony name games
The Palm Beach Post (Chris Perkins) reports: Center Joel Anthony was so low-key as a rookie last season many fans don’t even know how to pronounce his first name. It’s Jo-elle. And judging from his performance in Monday’s 99-94 victory over New Jersey (four points, four rebounds, one block), he might be ready for more minutes at Mark Blount’s expense.
InsideHoops.com editor says: If Joel wants his name to be pronounced “Jo-elle” he should consider adding a dash in the actual word. By the way, please now pronounce my name as “Jay-eff” rather than Jeff.
Nov 10: Heat 99, Nets 94
The AP reports: Dwyane Wade scored 19 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter, 14 of those in the final 4 1/2 minutes, and the Heat rallied to beat the New Jersey Nets 99-94 on Monday night to stay perfect at home this season. He entered the game 0-for-9 from 3-point range this season, but connected on four against the Nets, including three from beyond the arc during the frantic comeback… Michael Beasley scored 29 points and Daequan Cook added 15 for the Heat, who scored 26 points off turnovers and went 25-for-26 from the foul line—including a game-sealing 6-for-6 effort by Chris Quinn in the final 12.9 seconds… Yi Jianlian made a career-best five 3-pointers and finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets, who got 22 points from Vince Carter… Former Heat guard Keyon Dooling scored 18 points for New Jersey, which also got 12 from Jarvis Hayes and 11 from Bobby Simmons.
InsideHoops.com Notes: Brook Lopez played just 14 minutes for the Nets and did little. Mario Chalmers, who starts at point guard for the Heat, had just 2 assists. Shawn Marion, Marcus Banks and Mark Blount didn’t play.
Cool stats worth knowing
Phoenix’s Shaquille O’Neal needs 20 points to tie John Havlicek for 10th on the all-time scoring list (26,395). O’Neal is averaging 14.8 points over six games. He scored a season-high 29 points Saturday at Milwaukee. The Suns host Memphis tonight and Houston Wednesday.
O’Neal’s teammate, Amare Stoudemire, has attempted 15 or more free throws in a franchise-record tying three-straight games (Connie Hawkins: January, 1970; Stoudemire: April, 2004). The last player to attempt 15 or more free throws in three straight games was Dwight Howard in December, 2007.
Toronto’s Chris Bosh is the second player in team history to pass the 7,000-point mark in career scoring. He has 7,011 points, second behind Vince Carter, who scored 9,420 points between 1998-2004.
Miami’s Mario Chalmers — one of only two rookies starting at point guard (Chicago’s Derrick Rose) — leads rookies in assists (5.7 apg) and steals (2.8 spg). Rose is second in assists (5.1 apg) and tied for fourth in steals (1.1 spg).
Milwaukee guard and former NBA Development League player Ramon Sessions is averaging 17.2 points, 6.2 assists and 3.6 rebounds.
Atlanta, which remained undefeated (5-0) with an 89-85 triumph over host Oklahoma City yesterday, is off to its best start since the 1997-98 season 11-0.
–NBA News
Heat settle into rotation
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Ira Winderman) reports: The Heat seems to be hitting its stride with Udonis Haslem having settled in at center and Mario Chalmers at point guard. In addition, Chris Quinn has morphed into Jason Kapono. The question now is whether there is room for anyone else in what has grown into a tight, comfortable rotation, with Haslem, Michael Beasley, Shawn Marion, Dwyane Wade and Chalmers as the starters, and then Quinn, Yakhouba Diawara, Daequan Cook and Mark Blount off the bench.
Nov 8: Hornets 100, Heat 89
The AP reports: Chris Paul finished with 21 points and 13 assists for his sixth straight double-double of at least 20 points and 10 assists to open the season, surpassing the mark set by Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson in 1968… Paul also had seven rebounds and four steals to help the Hornets (4-2) snap a two-game losing streak. Nevertheless, Paul wouldn’t take complete credit for the record… Tyson Chandler added 13 points and 10 rebounds, and David West had 21 points for New Orleans. Dywane Wade led the Heat with 30 points, and Udonis Haslem added 12.
InsideHoops.com Notes: Dwyane Wade (9-of-20) had 30 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists for the Heat. Michael Beasley (4-of-13), Shawn Marion and Udonis Haslem all scored in low double-digits. Chris Quinn shot well off the bench for 14 points.
Heat gets first win at Spurs since 1996
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Ira Winderman) reports: Before Friday night’s 99-83 victory over the Spurs at the AT&T Center, the Heat was 1-20 all-time in San Antonio, with the lone victory 12 years ago. That previous victory came when Heat assistant coach Keith Askins was the team’s starting small forward, when future NBA coaches Avery Johnson and Vinny Del Negro were in the Spurs’ starting backcourt, and when Tim Duncan was still on campus at Wake Forest… This is a game the Heat should have won, even as it redefines itself in the wake of last season’s NBA-worst 15-67 record. With Manu Ginobili still sidelined from preseason ankle surgery and Tony Parker lost in the first quarter with a sprained left ankle, the Spurs were reduced to Duncan and a bunch of fill-ins lacking anything in the way of championship pedigree.
Nov 7: Heat 99, Spurs 83
The AP reports: Tony Parker’s encore to 55 was two to four. That’s how many weeks San Antonio is preparing to be without the NBA’s leading scorer after he sprained his left ankle early in a 99-83 loss to Miami on Friday night. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said the ankle is “pretty swollen.” Tim Duncan found solace that it wasn’t worse. Dwyane Wade, who had 33 points and 10 rebounds for Miami, pitied that “another great player” went down… “I don’t know what it is,” said Duncan, who had 22 points and 11 rebounds but sat most of the fourth quarter… Rookie Michael Beasley added 20 points for Miami and briefly left the game with what the Heat described as a left shin contusion. He later returned to the bench, and the team said X-rays were negative. Roger Mason scored 18 points and Ime Udoka had 14 off the bench in trying to rally the Spurs with Parker out.
Nov 5: Heat 106, Sixers 83
The AP reports: Dwyane Wade scored 29 points, rookie Mario Chalmers set a franchise record with nine steals, and the Heat scored 12 straight points in the fourth quarter to pull away and beat the Philadelphia 76ers 106-83 on Wednesday night—giving Miami its first 2-0 home start since 2004… Wade added seven rebounds, six assists and five steals. Michael Beasley finished with 17 points, and Shawn Marion—playing with a hard plastic mask to protect a broken nose—added 12 points and seven rebounds for Miami (2-2). Yakhouba Diawara scored 11 points and Udonis Haslem added 10 for the Heat. Thaddeus Young scored 12 of his 19 points in the first quarter for Philadelphia, which got 16 points from Louis Williams and a 12-point, 12-rebound night from Elton Brand. Andre Miller finished with 11 points and six assists for the 76ers (2-3), while Andre Iguodala was held to only two points.
Wade not feeling team yet
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Ira Winderman) reports: Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade said Monday that not only doesn’t he look like himself through the first three games of the season, but he also doesn’t feel like himself. Wade is shooting 41.2 percent from the field through the first week, down from his career 48.1. He is coming off a 5-of-15 performance in Saturday’s 100-87 road loss against the Charlotte Bobcats that dropped the Heat to 1-2. Wade said he still is having trouble finding himself in an offense that features several new players to the rotation, including rookies Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers.