Miami Heat Blog – Page 85 – NBA Blog

Heat beat Raptors, Erik Spoelstra gets to coach East All-Stars

Both on the court and along the sidelines, the Miami Heat will be well represented at this month’s NBA All-Star game.

LeBron James scored 30 points, Chris Bosh had 28 against his former team and the Miami Heat beat Toronto 100-85 Sunday for their 10th straight victory over the Raptors.

The victory guarantees Miami the top spot in the Eastern Conference as of Feb. 3, percentage points ahead of the New York Knicks. That means Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and his staff will be in charge when the All-Stars suit up in Houston in two weeks.

”It’s awesome,” James said. ”It’s a testament to our coaches’ preparedness. As players we go out there and just try to execute their game plan. We’re happy for them.”

Spoelstra, the fifth-year coach who led the Heat to the NBA championship last June, called the All-Star nod ”a heck of an honor.” …

Dwyane Wade added 23 points as the Heat bounced back after Friday’s 102-89 loss at Indiana, ensuring their team Super Bowl viewing party would be a happy one…

Rudy Gay led the Raptors with 29 points and DeMar DeRozan had 27. Kyle Lowry scored 10 points and Aaron Gray matched his season high with 12 rebounds for the Raptors, who have lost four of five.

”They’re the champs,” DeRozan said. ”We couldn’t stop them. We couldn’t slow them down when they got it going.”

James finished with team highs of eight rebounds and seven assists and Bosh scored 13 in the fourth quarter for Miami, which improved to 12-11 on the road.

— Reported by Ian Harrison of the Associated Press

Miami Heat re-assign Dexter Pittman to D-League yet again

The Miami Heat today re-assigned Dexter Pittman to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s NBA Development League affiliate. The assignment is the record 124th of the 2012-13 NBA and NBA D-League seasons, while Pittman is one of the record 52 players to have been assigned to the NBA D-League this season.

Pittman (6-11, 285, Texas) returns to Sioux Falls having been assigned twice before this season, when he appeared in 12 games and averaged 13.3 points, 9.2 rebounds and 25.8 minutes.

Originally selected by the Heat in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2010 NBA Draft, Pittman has appeared in four games for Miami this season, averaging 1.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.0 minutes. In 41 career games for the Heat, Pittman has averaged 2.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 7.9 minutes.

Pittman is expected to join the Skyforce today and be available on Wednesday, Feb. 6 when the team travels to face the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in Indiana at 7 p.m. ET.

LeBron James, Tony Parker named NBA Players of Month for January, 2013

Miami Heat forward LeBron James and San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker today were named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month, respectively, for games played in January.

James captured his third straight Kia NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month award by ranking second in the conference in scoring (27.0 ppg), third in field goal percentage (.555), fourth in steals (1.92 spg), fifth in assists (7.2 apg), and 16th in rebounds (8.1 rpg). In January, James scored at least 20 points in 12 games, at least 25 points in seven games and 30 or more points in five games. He became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 20,000 career points when he achieved the feat at Golden State on Jan.16.

Parker helped the Spurs to a 12-3 record in January, tied with the Denver Nuggets for the best mark in the league. He ranked third in the conference in assists (7.9 apg), sixth in scoring (21.9 ppg) and seventh in field goal percentage (.563), scoring at least 20 points in 12 games , including two 30-plus point games. He notched five point-assist double-doubles during the month, including dishing out a season-high 13 assists in a 106-102 win over the New Orleans Hornets on Jan. 23.

Other nominees for NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month were Brooklyn’s Brook Lopez, Chicago’s Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah, Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving, Denver’s Danilo Gallinari, Houston’s James Harden, New York’s Carmelo Anthony, Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge and Washington’s Emeka Okafor.

Reggie Evans says he was not trying to insult the Heat

In a radio interview yesterday, Reggie Evans claimed his message for LeBron James and the Heat was lost in translation.

The Nets power forward, appearing on SiriusXM’s “Off The Dribble,” said he didn’t knock the fact the Heat claimed last season’s title at the end of a lockout shortened season before Wednesday’s blowout loss to the Heat.

“I didn’t say it didn’t prove anything,” Evans said. “Those were not my exact words. I said they won a championship in a lockout season. That’s what I said. That was really about it.

“I never said they did not prove anything. I just said they won a championship in a lockout season. That was it. I guess people just took it out of proportion, that’s all.”

— Reported by Tim Bontemps of the New York Post

Celtics beat Heat in 2 OT; Rondo out for year

Paul Pierce hit a go-ahead jumper with 31 seconds left and the Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat 100-98 in double overtime Sunday after learning that All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Rondo will have surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. He was hurt late in Boston’s 123-112 loss, also in two overtimes, to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.

This game was the first in Boston for Ray Allen since he left the Celtics after five seasons and signed as a free agent with Miami. He scored 21 points.

Kevin Garnett had 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Pierce added 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for the Celtics, who ended a six-game losing streak, their longest in six seasons. LeBron James had 34 points for the Heat, whose winning streak stopped at four.

Pierce’s basket gave the Celtics a 99-98 lead. James had a chance to put the Heat ahead but missed a 12-foot jumper with 6.8 seconds to go from the left with defender Jeff Green jumping out at him. Pierce got the rebound and was fouled by Shane Battier.

He sank the first shot. Then, as a fan shouted ”This one’s for Rondo,” he missed the second.

Miami had one last chance, but Battier missed a long jumper at the buzzer.

The Heat also could have won in the first overtime, but Dwyane Wade, who had 17 points, also missed a long jumper as the buzzer sounded. They had led 93-89 after consecutive baskets by James, but Garnett hit a layup with 1:45 remaining and a shot from the right baseline with 1:14 to go.

— Reported by Howard Ulman of the Associated Press

D-Wade scores 29, Heat beat Pistons 110-88

Dwyane Wade scored 29 points and sparked a pivotal run to help the Miami Heat earn their fourth victory in a row Friday by beating the Detroit Pistons 110-88.

The Heat got even for a loss at Detroit on Dec. 28. They improved to 18-3 at home, while the Pistons fell to 4-16 on the road.

After falling behind by nine points, the Heat outscored Detroit 26-4 during a seven-minute stretch in the second quarter to take a 60-47 lead. Wade scored 15 points during the spurt.

LeBron James had 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Heat, who shot 56 percent. Over the past two seasons, they’re 34-2 when shooting at least 50 percent.

Miami, last in the NBA in rebounds, also won the battle of the boards, 36-35.

Greg Monroe scored 31 points for the Pistons, who never got close in the second half.

One of the night’s biggest cheers came when a 50-year-old computer technician from McHenry, Ill., made a half-court shot to win $75,000 and a hug from James.

As part of a contest sponsored by James’ foundation, Michael Drysch sank a one-handed hook shot from midcourt between periods. James watched from the bench, and when the shot swished in, he happily sprinted at Drysch and embraced him, and both tumbled to the court.

— Reported by Steven Wine of the Associated Press

Ray Allen unsure when he will retire

The old saying, “Once a shooter, always a shooter” definitely applies to Ray Allen.

Even at the tender age of 37, Allen remains unequivocally one of the elite shooter in the game. Just check his 3-point shooting percentage this season: It’s .432 — the seventh-best in the league.

Yet, while it appears Allen still has more than fumes in his tank, the Miami Heat reserve guard acknowledges he may be closer to his career finish line than people think.

“I don’t know when I’ll retire,” said Allen, who began his pro career in Milwaukee in 1996 and spent six-plus productive seasons with the Bucks before being dealt to Seattle. “I’d like to get through the year first. I feel great; my body feels good. I just got to get through.

“I’m at a point where I’ve been pretty successful and I’ve gotten to the point where I really understand the game and how to play it.

“But I’m not going to be that guy who just hangs on. At some point, I can let it go.”

— Reported by Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times

Heat re-sign forward Jarvis Varnado to second 10-day contract

The Miami Heat announced today that they have re-signed forward Jarvis Varnado to a second 10-day contract.

Varnado, who was signed to a 10-day contract by the Heat on January 9, appeared in two games with Miami, both victories, totaling two points and two blocks in 12 minutes of action while shooting 1-of-2 from the field.

Varnado was signed earlier this season by Boston on December 14 and appeared in five games with the Celtics totaling six points, three rebounds, one assist and a steal in 18 minutes while shooting 2-of-4 from the field before being waived on January 6. He previously played in eight games (all starts) earlier this season for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League and averaged 14.0 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.38 blocks and 30.4 minutes while shooting 57.5 percent from the field.

Varnado was originally signed by Miami on September 7 and waived on October 26 after appearing in two games (one start) on the HEAT’s 2012 Summer League team tallying four points, seven rebounds, one steal and a block in 30:07 minutes of action.

Miami Heat sign Chris Andersen to 10-day contract

The Birdman is back in the NBA. Temporarily, at least.

The Miami Heat announced today that they have signed forward/center Chris Andersen to a 10-day contract.

Andersen, a 10-year NBA veteran, has appeared in 482 career games (10 starts) and averaged 5.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.60 blocks and 17.8 minutes while shooting 50.8 percent from the field. Additionally, he has appeared in 31 career postseason games and averaged 5.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.52 blocks and 17.8 minutes while shooting 58.2 percent from the field.

Last season, Andersen appeared in 32 games (one start) with Denver and averaged 5.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.44 blocks and 15.2 minutes while shooting 54.6 percent from the field.

According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, “because of the moves, center Josh Harrellson was not retained after his 10-day contract expired. Also, the Heat announced that center Dexter Pittman again has been recalled from the NBA Development League. The focus Sunday, though, was on Andersen. “It’s a great fit for me,” Andersen said of being called in to provide rebounding and defense. “It’s what I do.” Andersen, known for his colorful tattoos, Mohawk haircut and headband summed up his personality after Sunday’s workout.”

Heat re-assign Dexter Pittman to D-League

The Miami HEAT announced today that center Dexter Pittman has been re-assigned to the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League. The Skyforce are the HEAT’s D-League affiliate.

Pittman was originally assigned to Sioux Falls earlier this season on December 26 appearing in 10 games (seven starts) and averaged 12.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.90 blocks, 1.20 steals and 25.1 minutes while shooting 46.3 percent from the field. He posted four double-doubles and was named to the 2013 NBA D-League Showcase Second Team before being recalled by the HEAT for their 99-90 win against the Los Angeles Lakers last night.

Pittman will rejoin the Skyforce and be available for tonight’s game against the Texas Legends.