Starting Line-ups
Kings
- Beno Udrih
- Tyreke Evans
- Donté Greene
- Jason Thompson
- DeMarcus Cousins
Reserves: Carl Landry, Francisco Garcia, Samuel Dalembert, Pooh Jeter, Omri Casspi, Darnell Jackson, Luther Head.
Heat
- Carlos Arroyo
- Dwyane Wade
- LeBron James
- Chris Bosh
- Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Reserves: Juwan Howard, Eddie House, James Jones, Jamaal Magloire, Joel Anthony, Mario Chalmers, Erick Dampier.
First Quarter Recap
The Game started in the fashion that you would expect with LeBron James scoring on an ally-oop along the baseline. The Kings’ took a lead at 8-6 at the eight minute mark on a Jason Thompson fall-away over Chris Bosh. This seemed to ignite the team and less than a minute later, they had pushed the lead to seven. At the six minute mark of the first, DeMarcus Cousins picked up his second foul and Samuel Dalembert replaced him in the line-up. The Kings’ continued to pace between three and seven points ahead of the Heat for the remainder of the period. Led by Jason Thompson’s nine points and Tyreke Evans’ five, the Kings held a surprising, if not shocking seven point lead at the end of the first.
Kings 24 Heat 17
Leaders
Kings- Thompson (9) Points; Cousins (4) Rebounds; Udrih (2) Assists.
Heat- James (5) Points; Bosh (4) Rebounds; Wade/Arroyo (2) Assists.
Second Quarter Recap
The Kings’ slowly let their lead slip away in the second which for this team is customary. Sloppy play early led to a big-time dunk by Dwyane Wade that drew some ooh’s and aah’s. Wade followed that dunk moments later with an incredible throw down in the half court which allowed the Heat to take a 30-29 lead. With LeBron James on the bench, Dwyane Wade looked spectacular, torching the Kings for nine early points in the second. The Kings’ lone stand out in the second was Omri Casspi who hit three huge three pointers to give the Kings’ the lead back at 38-37. The Heat continued to apply pressure and at the half, they led by five with Chris Bosh and LeBron James having very little impact on the game.
Kings 42 Heat 47
Leaders
Kings- Thompson (11) Points; Dalembert (6) Rebounds; Udrih (6) Assists.
Heat- Wade (17) Points; Bosh (17) Rebounds; Wade (6) Assists.
Team Kings Heat
FG% 41.9% 45.2%
Rebounds 18 26
Assists/TO 9/6 11/5
Third Quarter Recap
The Kings’ came out flat in the third and the Heat made them pay. Less than three minutes into the quarter, the Heat lead hit a game high 13. At the 6:29 mark, that lead was 20 and growing. Coach Westphal went to the bench with Casspi and Dalembert and like the second quarter, Casspi instantly made an impact. At the 2:55 mark, the Kings’ had cut the Heat lead to 14 after a big three pointer by Beno Udrih but LeBron answered the Kings barrage, hitting back to back jumpers and pushing the lead back to 19. LeBron gave a little back to end the quarter, after burying a fall-away three pointer, he taunted the Kings’ bench and got T’ed up. He followed up the technical by getting called for goal tending on an Omri Casspi break-away. At the end of three, the Heat lead sat at 16 with both LeBron and Wade showing why they make the big bucks.
Kings 62 Heat 78
Leaders
Kings- Casspi (17) Points; Dalembert (8) Rebounds; Udrih (7) Assists.
Heat- Wade (23) Points; Bosh (11) Rebounds; Wade (6) Assists.
Fourth Quarter Recap
The fourth quarter started with a different feel than the third. After Omri Casspi hit a quick three, Carl Landry went at Chris Bosh on back-to-back plays, scoring and getting fouled both times, unfortunately missing both at the stripe. The Kings fought to get back in the game but with the Heat making shots, it became extremely difficult for them to get out in transition. The Heat just had too many weapons for the Kings’ to compete with. If the 51 combined points from Wade and James were not enough, Chris Bosh kicked in 17 rebounds, helping the Heat to a 57-36 advantage on the glass.
Kings Lose!!
Kings 83 Heat 104
Leaders
Kings- Casspi (20) Points; Dalembert (11) Rebounds; Udrih (7) Assists.
Heat- Wade (36) Points; Bosh (17) Rebounds; Wade (6) Assists.
Team Kings Heat
FG% 36.7% 51.9%
Rebounds 36 57
Assists/TO 17/11 22/14
Player of the Game: Dwyane Wade. The Kings’ have struggled with elite wings all season and tonight was not different. The only thing that could have stopped Wade tonight was him picking up a second technical which did not happen. Th Heat star led his team both in scoring (36) and assists (6) and he shut down Tyreke Evans on the defensive end.
The Difference Maker: No, it’s not LeBron James. The Kings’ have an ability to get back in games against elite opponents. Tonight would have been no different if Chris Bosh wouldn’t have grabbed 17 rebounds, 15 of those on the defensive end. Bosh kicked in 14 points for good measure but it was the work he did on the glass that really changed the game tonight.
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