Read More: Dwight Howard (C – ORL), Kevin Durant (F – OKC), Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder

With the NBA Lockout finally in the rearview mirror, a fast and frenzied free agency period and condensed training camp has begun, with NBA teams finally taking the floor for exhibition games beginning next weekend. The Orlando Magic and Miami Heat will spend their lockout-shortened preseason facing each other in a home-and-home-series beginning next Sunday, December 18th.

Once those warm-up contests are complete, both Orlando and Miami open the truncated NBA season on Christmas Day. LeBron, Wade and Bosh will travel to Dallas to take on Dirk and the defending champs in a midday contest. The Magic will travel to Oklahoma City to take on Kevin Durant and the Thunder in a primetime affair, with the biggest question being whether Dwight Howard will still be on the Orlando roster come tip time.

Magic and Heat Preseason Schedule

Sunday, December 18th: Orlando Magic at Miami Heat, 6:00 PM

Wednesday, December 21st: Miami Heat at Orlando Magic, 7:00 PM

For more Magic coverage, please visit Orlando Pinstriped Post, SB Nation’s Magic blog. For more Heat coverage, head on over to Peninsula is Mightier, SB Nation’s Heat blog.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

Read More: nba lockout, Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz

The first two weeks of the 2011-2012 NBA Season have been cancelled after the league failed to reach an agreement with the Player’s Association on Monday night (Oct. 10, 2011).

As a result, the following games on the New York Knicks schedule have been cancelled:

Nov. 2: Miami Heat at New York Knicks
Nov. 5: New York Knicks at Milwaukee Bucks
Nov. 6: New York Knicks at Detroit Pistons
Nov. 8: Oklahoma City Thunder at New York Knicks
Nov. 9: New York Knicks at Atlanta Hawks
Nov. 12: Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks
Nov. 14: New York Knicks at Utah Jazz

Unfortunately the work stoppage may continue after the two-week period expires as no new developments have been reported and the two sides are currently far apart on most (if not all) of the major sticking points.

The NBA and the Player’s Association are expected to meet at some point next week, which leaves them little time to save the remainder of the season if by some miracle the wrinkles are ironed out in time to play ball.

Comment Below!.

Read More: nba schedule, 2011-12 cavs schedule, J.J. Hickson (F – SAC), Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers

The NBA released the 2011-12 schedule on Tuesday afternoon with a triple-header of action on opening night – November 1 – that includes the World Champion Dallas Mavericks hosting the Chicago Bulls and the Oklahoma City Thunder traveling to Los Angeles to face the Lakers.

One team NOT included in the opening night festivities are the Miami Heat.  They open the season on Wednesday, November 2 with a trip to Madison Square Garden to face the New York Knicks.

The Cleveland Cavaliers also open their 2011-12 season on the road, heading to Boston to face the Celtics.  Cleveland will take on the Toronto Raptors in the Home Opener at The Q on Friday, November 4.  Cleveland won’t spend long at home, however, taking their first trip to the West Coast starting November 6.  The Wine and Gold will play 3 games in 4 nights against the Los Angeles Clippers(11/6), Denver Nuggets(11/7) and Sacramento Kings(11/9) in the first meeting between the Cavaliers and J.J. Hickson.

What about the Miami Heat, you ask?  

The Cavaliers and Heat will play four times next season, with the Heat coming to Cleveland on Friday, November 18, a game that will be televised on ESPN.  The Heat will also be at The Q on February 17, 2012 while the Cavaliers will head to South Beach on March 7 and April 6.

The Novemeber 18th matchup is the only time the Cavaliers are scheduled to be on ESPN/ABC or TNT all season.  Cleveland will play 13 games in November, with 6 at home and 7 on the road.

Check out the complete 2011-12 NBA Schedule;  Cavaliers site Fear The Sword talk about the Cavs schedule as well!

Comment Below!.

Posted: Friday, June 3, 2011 5:41 am
|


Updated: 9:12 am, Fri Jun 3, 2011.

What are your opinions.

MIAMI — Heat forward LeBron James is known for a lot of things on the court.

There’s the powder toss before the game. There are the high-flying dunks and passing ability. As James continues to improve as a player, another aspect of his game will be added to the list.

Defense.

Although his scoring has been the talk of the playoffs, his efforts at the defensive end have played just as much of a role in the Heat advancing to the NBA Finals. Their best-of-seven series against the Dallas Mavericks begins Tuesday at AmericanAirlines Arena.

“That’s my favorite part of the floor,” James said. “Offense gets all the headlines but what I do defensively, it’s all about that.”

James has improved so much that it’s becoming difficult to overlook his defense. He’s guarded all five positions at some point this season. In the playoffs, he slowed Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce while also showing versatility against point guards such as the Celtics’ Rajon Rondo and Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls.

James was a first-team All-Defensive selection, finishing third in the Defensive Player of the Year voting. Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard won the award for the third year in a row.

“We knew he was an excellent defender before this year,” forward Chris Bosh said. “He definitely should have been brought up for Defensive Player of the Year. I think that is a goal of his, to be the best defender as well. He’s looking to become that complete player … You can put him at one through four [positions] on offense and he can guard one through five on the other end.”

James could solidify himself as a true defender if he is provided an opportunity to match up against Mavs forward Dirk Nowitzki, who has averaged 28.4 points during the postseason. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said James won’t draw the assignment specifically, but the scenario will occur at times.

“Because of the way we defend and rotate, sometimes that will happen,” Spoelstra said. “He’s versatile enough that he’ll probably guard all of their players at least a handful of possessions at least at some point in the series. That’s the way we’ve been doing it for the last two and a half to three months. I don’t see that changing in the series.”

James said he’d welcome the challenge of stopping Nowitzki, who is coming off averaging 32.2 points a game against Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals. A 12-year veteran, Nowitzki has been called one of the league’s toughest covers because of his size (7 feet) and shooting touch. He shot 39 percent from three-point range this season.

“I guess people see me as a really good defender and him as the best offensive player,” James said. “So they automatically put me on him. Whatever it takes, if I need to guard him throughout the course of the series, I will.”

James, who considers himself a student of the game, watches endless hours of video to learn a player’s offensive tendencies. With Nowitzki, he said it’s a matter of just making things difficult.

“Am I going to stop somebody from making a shot all the time? No,” James said. “I’m not that. I study guys. I study their tendencies, what they like, what they dislike and make them uncomfortable. If they’re going to make shots while they’re uncomfortable, I can live with that.”

srichardson@tribune.com

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – Only seven different teams have won the
NBA Championship since 1984. One of them, the Miami Heat, took home the trophy
in 2006 with a four-games-to-two win over the Dallas Mavericks. Five years
later, the two teams are back at it with mostly new casts of characters. For
Miami, only 2006 NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem are still with
the club, while Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry are the two players who remain
in Dallas.

The Mavericks were favored in that series at minus 151 so the smart folks who
wagered $100 to win $151 on the Heat blazed their way to the windows. On the
other hand, Dallas did cover four of the six games so the people who sided
with the Mavs on a game-by-game basis still came out ahead.

Coming into that 2005-06 NBA Finals, Dallas had won 10 of the previous 12
meetings when the two teams faced off against one another. The Mavs also took
the first two games in the ’06 championship series. Unfortunately, they
couldn’t maintain the momentum as Miami took care of business in quick fashion
winning the next four.

Heading into this series, almost the same exact scenario is in play as Dallas
has won the last 10 meetings, including both contests this season. The first
game was an 11-point home victory, a game LeBron James shot 5-of-19 to go
along with five turnovers. The second matchup was a two-point win at Miami as
James, once again, failed to convert from the floor going 6-for-17 with five
more miscues.

Despite that, Miami comes into the series is the heavy favorite at -175,
mostly due to the fact that LeBron James has gotten his act together and has
led the Heat with one exceptional performance after another. His almost
flawless play began in the closing game against Boston where he carried his
squad into the Eastern Conference Finals scoring the game’s final 10 points in
the 97-87 victory.

In the four straight wins over Chicago, James averaged 28.5 points-per-game,
and along with Wade, the two superstars blew past the Bulls in game five with
a combined 16 points during a ferocious late-game comeback. Still, despite
losing only one game straight up and against the spread in its last seven, the
Heat has not destroyed its opponents as one would have expected. Two of the
wins needed overtime and two more were late fourth quarter comebacks.

Miami has two of the top three players in the series with Dallas so the right
team is favored. Nevertheless, don’t discount the underdogs as the West has
won nine of the last 12 NBA Finals.

CAN DALLAS TOPPLE THE HEAT?

The Mavericks also needed monster comebacks of their own to take down their
last adversary, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Dallas trailed in game four by 15
points with just over five minutes remaining and won it in overtime, and then
rallied in the fifth game of the Western Conference Finals pulling it out in
the final 4:30 minutes. Furthermore, more than half of their conference
playoff games were either decided by six points or less, or in overtime. They
are getting some respect as Miami is just a 4.5-point favorite in game one.
The last time the two teams played in Miami, the Heat was favored by seven. In
addition, Caron Butler, who played in both Dallas wins, is out of the lineup.
Given that, why is the line so low, especially since Miami is playing much
better ball in late May compared to late December?

A lot of it has to do with Dirk Nowitzki. Take away game three versus Oklahoma
City and the 32-year-old has averaged 30.5 ppg in the postseason on 60-percent
shooting from the floor, including an amazing 69-percent from three-point
territory.

As for the team, the Mavericks have not only won 16 of their last 19, they are
16-2-1 ATS. Moreover, the road has not been a problem considering they are
6-0-1 ATS away from home in the playoffs. The Mavs have also fared very well
in Miami during the regular season of late as the last time they failed to
cover came all the way back in the 2002-03 campaign. They also went 2-1 ATS in
the three road playoff games against the Heat in 2006.

Still, in order to win the title, Dallas must shoot at a high percentage – a
task that could be a little too daunting since Miami was second in the NBA in
defensive field goal percentage. (The Heat is also currently second in the
postseason, a shade behind the Indiana Pacers.)

Dallas also will need major offensive contributions from three veterans in
Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, and Shawn Marion. More importantly is how the troika
handles the Heat on the defensive side considering their average age is 35-
years-old. When compared to the youth of Miami, it seems as if the Mavs will
literally be run out of town. James, Wade, and Bosh are all under 30 with
their average age at just 27-years-old. The longer the series goes, the more
advantageous it will be for the Heat, even though games three, four, and five
will be played in Dallas.

Given that, don’t expect Dallas to continue its amazing run both SU and ATS as
the Heat will be ready to win its second title in six years. Miami is on a
mission to prove all the naysayers wrong so look for the Heat to come through
with flying colors and win the title in five.

The Sports Network

Thanks for reading! .

MIAMI — For the second time in three games, Chris Bosh had a monster night against the Chicago Bulls. Unlike the first, this one paid off with a win.

And the Miami Heat is two victories from its first trip to the NBA Finals since 2006.

Bosh scored 34 points, LeBron James finished with 22 points and 10 assists, and the Heat remained unbeaten at home in the postseason by beating the Bulls 96-85 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Sunday.

Dwyane Wade added 17 points and nine rebounds for Miami, which is now 7-0 at home and handed the team that finished with the NBA’s best record its first losing streak since Feb. 5-7. Udonis Haslem sealed it with a jumper with 1:29 left, putting Miami up 93-84.

Bosh scored 30 points in Game 1 against Chicago, when Miami was embarrassed 103-82. The Heat hasn’t lost since, and only trailed for 3:22 in Game 3.

“I just wanted to be aggressive and just have some kind of imprint on this series,” said Bosh, who’s in the conference finals for the first time. “I had an aggressive Game 1, Game 2 was so-so, but we still won. But out here on the home floor I just wanted to be aggressive and it turned out to be a good game.”

A really good game: It was five points shy of his postseason career best.

Carlos Boozer finished with 26 points and 17 rebounds for Chicago, which had won the first four meetings of the season with Miami. Derrick Rose finished with 20 points, but struggled from the field again, making just eight of his 19 shots.

The Bulls held James and Wade to a combined 12-for-30 showing from the floor. Problem was, Bosh finished 13 for 18.

“It’s definitely frustrating,” Rose said. “Our will wasn’t there. They still found a way to win.”

Bosh and Boozer exchanged words and looks more than once on Sunday night, but Bosh ended up with the upper hand.

“All I care about is winning games,” Bosh said. “And we do whatever it takes to get that.”

How good was Miami’s defense down that stretch? Bulls center Joakim Noah tried a 5-footer with 4:25 left. He shot it over the backboard.

According to The Miami Herald, Noah was caught on video using an expletive and an anti-gay slur toward a fan after getting his second foul.

“I apologize if I offended anyone,” said Noah, who added he made a bad decision.

Noah said he doesn’t “even want to think” about the amount of his probable fine.

Game 4 is Tuesday night in Miami.

Thunder trails entering Game 4

The Oklahoma City Thunder, trailing in the Western Conference finals 2-1, will try to use the Dallas Mavericks’ style to even up the series Monday night: Get angry and get a win.

After claiming home-court advantage with a win in Dallas in Game 2, the Thunder got flattened in the first quarter of Game 3 and gave it right back.

Kevin Durant was 0 for 8 from three-point range.

The Thunder faces what guard Daequan Cook calls a “must-win” situation in Game 4. Otherwise, Oklahoma City would be behind 3-1 when the series returns to Dallas. All-Star guard Russell Westbrook said “you have to be angry” after a home loss.

Feel free to leave your comments below.

by Bob Young, columnist – May. 14, 2011 05:33 PM
The Arizona Republic

Thanks for visiting our blog =).

After a sluggish start to the season, the Miami Heat’s All-Star trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have silenced their critics and head into the playoffs among the favourites to win an NBA title.

One of the most talented fields in recent memory will open the playoffs this weekend when 16 teams start a gruelling push toward the NBA Finals where the eventual champion will have made it through four best-of-seven-games series.

The Los Angeles Lakers are seeking a third straight title, the San Antonio Spurs are looking to cap an impressive season with their first NBA championship since 2007 and the top-seeded Chicago Bulls hope most valuable player front-runner Derrick Rose can end the team’s 12-year title drought.

The Heat, who compiled the third-best record in the regular season despite a mediocre 8-7 start to their campaign, begin their quest for a championship against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday in the Eastern Conference quarter-final.

Miami were tagged as favourites to win a title the moment Bosh and James decided to join Wade in Miami in the offseason to form what many considered to be an unstoppable force.

But getting to the NBA Finals will be no easy feat as Miami could potentially face the Boston Celtics in the second round and then the Bulls in the Conference decider.

“Staying the course,” James said. “That’s all (Miami coach Erik Spoelstra) talked about. Staying the course, staying the course, and we’ll get through everything.”

The streaking Bulls, who capped the regular season with nine straight wins to overtake San Antonio for the best overall record, enter the playoffs as the favourites after bowing out in the first round in each of the last two seasons.

Chicago, who have lost only five games at home all season, have home-court advantage throughout the postseason starting with a first-round matchup against the Indiana Pacers, the only team in the playoffs with a losing regular season record.

The Boston Celtics, last year’s runner-up, play Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks in the first round while the Orlando Magic, powered by two-time defending defensive player of the year Dwight Howard, will battle the Atlanta Hawks in the other Eastern Conference series.

In the Western Conference, the Spurs kept their grip on first place despite a late-season skid while 13-times All-Star Tim Duncan was out with an ankle injury.

But the Spurs will limp into the playoffs having lost two straight games and with questions surrounding the health of guard Manu Ginobili, who hyperextended his right elbow during the regular-season finale.

San Antonio, who were eliminated in the second round of the postseason last year, play the Memphis Grizzlies in the opening round this year, a team they lost to twice in March.

The Dallas Mavericks will face the Portland Trail Blazers while the Oklahoma City Thunder will play a Denver Nuggets team that has thrived since trading four-times All-Star Anthony to the Knicks in February.

The Lakers were able to breath a collective sigh of relief after learning center Andrew Bynum, who injured his right knee earlier this week, is expected to be ready to play in the first round against the New Orleans Hornets.

Bynum, considered a vital piece in helping the team win a record-equalling 17th title, had an MRI that showed he has a bone bruise which the team said on Wednesday was not serous.

“He allows us to be the dominant team we’re capable of being,” said Lakers guard Derek Fisher. “It’s hard to think about not having him for any significant length of time. It was tough to see.”

Schedule of games for the first round of the National Basketball Association playoffs:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1-Chicago v. 8-Indiana

Game 1 – April 16 at Chicago
Game 2 – April 18 at Chicago
Game 3 – April 21 at Indiana
Game 4 – April 23 at Indiana
Game 5* – April 26 at Chicago
Game 6* – April 28 at Indiana
Game 7* – April 30 at Chicago

2-Miami v. 7-Philadelphia

Game 1 – April 16 at Miami
Game 2 – April 18 at Miami
Game 3 – April 21 at Philadelphia
Game 4 – April 24 at Philadelphia
Game 5* – April 27 at Miami
Game 6* – April 29 at Philadelphia
Game 7* – May 1 at Miami

3-Boston v. 6-New York

Game 1 – April 17 at Boston
Game 2 – April 19 at Boston
Game 3 – April 22 at New York
Game 4 – April 24 at New York
Game 5* – April 26 at Boston
Game 6* – April 29 at New York
Game 7* – May 1 at Boston

4-Orlando v. 5-Atlanta

Game 1 – April 16 at Orlando
Game 2 – April 19 at Orlando
Game 3 – April 22 at Atlanta
Game 4 – April 24 at Atlanta
Game 5* – April 26 at Orlando
Game 6* – April 28 at Atlanta
Game 7* – April 30 at Orlando

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1-San Antonio v. 8-Memphis

Game 1 – April 17 at San Antonio
Game 2 – April 20 at San Antonio
Game 3 – April 23 at Memphis
Game 4 – April 25 at Memphis
Game 5* – April 27 at San Antonio
Game 6* – April 29 at Memphis
Game 7* – May 1 at San Antonio

2-L.A. Lakers vs. 7-New Orleans

Game 1 – April 17 at Los Angeles
Game 2 – April 20 at Los Angeles
Game 3 – April 22 at New Orleans
Game 4 – April 24 at New Orleans
Game 5* – April 26 at Los Angeles
Game 6* – April 28 at New Orleans
Game 7* – April 30 at Los Angeles

3-Dallas v. 6-Portland

Game 1 – April 16 at Dallas
Game 2 – April 19 at Dallas
Game 3 – April 21 at Portland
Game 4 – April 23 at Portland
Game 5* – April 25 at Dallas
Game 6* – April 28 at Portland
Game 7* – April 30 at Dallas

4-Oklahoma City v. 5-Denver

Game 1 – April 17 at Oklahoma City
Game 2 – April 20 at Oklahoma City
Game 3 – April 23 at Denver
Game 4 – April 25 at Denver
Game 5* – April 27 at Oklahoma City
Game 6* – April 29 at Denver
Game 7* – May 1 at Oklahoma City

*If necessary

- Reuters

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If this was an Eastern Conference semifinals preview, then the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics showed what to expect.

Few pleasantries. Pushing and shoving. And maybe a Game 7 in Miami.

LeBron James scored 27 points, Dwyane Wade added 14, and the Heat moved closer to the No. 2 seed in the East playoffs Sunday by beating the sliding Celtics 100-77.

“It was a playoff-atmosphere type of game, from the fans to both teams’ approach to what the game meant,” Wade said. “It had that feel.”

Miami moved a game ahead of Boston, trimming its magic number to clinch the second seed to two. The teams will finish second and third in some order behind Chicago in the East, slotted to play in the conference semifinals.

“We’d like to play them, I can tell you that,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “And we may have to, if we want to go somewhere.”

Thunder 120, Lakers 106: Kevin Durant scored 31 points, Russell Westbrook added 26, and visiting Oklahoma City sent Los Angeles to its fifth straight loss.

James Harden added 16 points and Serge Ibaka 15 for the Thunder, who moved a game behind the Lakers and Dallas with two remaining in the race for the No. 2 seed in the West.

Kobe Bryant scored 31 points, Pau Gasol added 26, and Andrew Bynum had 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Lakers.

Bulls 102, Magic 99: Derrick Rose had 39 points and five assists to help visiting Chicago

hold off Orlando. Dwight Howard sat out, serving his second suspension of the season after picking up his 18th technical foul.

Grizzlies 111, Hornets 89: O.J. Mayo scored 18 points, and host Memphis continued its march to the postseason by beating New Orleans. Hornets All-Star guard Chris Paul was held scoreless for the first time in his career.

Mavericks 115, Suns 90: Dirk Nowitzki scored 19 points, and Shawn Marion added 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead host Dallas, keeping alive hopes of snagging the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

Knicks 110, Pacers 109: Carmelo Anthony scored 34 points, making the go-ahead jumper with 4.9 seconds left and blocking a potential winning attempt, helping the visiting Knicks win their seventh straight.

Leave your comments on the news below.

If this was an Eastern Conference semifinals preview, then the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics showed what to expect.

Few pleasantries.

Pushing and shoving.

And maybe a Game 7 in Miami.

LeBron James scored 27 points, Dwyane Wade added 14 and the Heat moved closer to the No. 2 seed in the East playoffs Sunday by beating the sliding Celtics 100-77.

“It was a playoff-atmosphere type of game, from the fans to both teams’ approach to what the game meant,” Wade said. “It had that feel.”

Miami moved a game ahead of Boston, trimming its magic number to clinch the second seed to two. The teams will finish second and third in some order behind Chicago in the East, slotted to play in the conference semifinals.

“We’d like to play them, I can tell you that,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “And we may have to if we want to go somewhere.”

Bulls 102, Magic 99: Derrick Rose had 39 points and five assists to help visiting Chicago hold off Orlando. Dwight Howard sat out, serving his second suspension of the season after picking up his 18th technical foul.

Grizzlies 111, Hornets 89: O.J. Mayo scored 18 points and host Memphis continued its march to the postseason by beating New Orleans. Hornets All-Star guard Chris Paul was held scoreless for the first time in his career.

Mavericks 115, Suns 90: Dirk Nowitzki scored 19 points and Shawn Marion added 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead host

Dallas, keeping alive hopes of snagging the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

Knicks 110, Pacers 109: Carmelo Anthony scored 34 points, making the go-ahead jumper with 4.9 seconds left and blocking a potential winning attempt, helping the visiting Knicks win their seventh straight.

Thunder 120, Lakers 106: Kevin Durant scored 31 points visiting Oklahoma City sent the Lakers to their fifth straight loss.

That’s all the news for today.

Read More: Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics

Following Thursday night’s blowout loss at the hands of the Chicago Bulls, the Celtics to a man talked a blue streak about needing to play with more focus, hustle and effort with the playoffs just around the corner. Then, on Sunday, they got blown out again, this time against their chief competition for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat.

After taking an early, 11-2 lead, the C’s took the remainder of the afternoon in Miami off, getting outscored 98-66 the rest of the way en route to a 100-77 loss, putting them a game behind the Heat for the second seed. The C’s fell behind by as many as 22 in the fourth quarter, then went on a 12-0 run to close Miami’s lead to 10 with just over five minutes left, before folding again. Whatever messages were supposed to be conveyed in talking about playing with more effort, passion and hustle after the loss in Chicago must have been forgotten already as the C’s were smoked yet again on the boards by a count of 42-26, including a whopping 15-3 on the offensive glass. They were also betrayed once again by their formerly vaunted defense, as the Heat shot 51 percent from the floor.

Paul PIerce led the Celts (55-25) with 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting, to go with seven rebounds. Kevin Garnett added 21 points but Rajon Rondo, the leader of the “We have to play harder,” movement after Chicago, was mostly invisible, finishing with a paltry seven points and five assists. Ray Allen made two early 3-pointers then was barely heard from again, finishing with 13 points. Jeff Green, the centerpiece of the February deal with Oklahoma City, continued to be enigmatic at best and massively disappointing at worst, taking just one shot (which he missed) and ending up four points in 19 minutes. And at the center position, where the Heat feature 36-year old Zydrunas Ilgauskas and D-League castoff Joel Anthony, the C’s duo of Jermaine O’Neal and Nenad Krstic barely competed, getting outscored 15-2 and outrebounded 15-1.

LeBron James led all scorers with 27 points and added seven assists, five rebounds and four steals for the Heat. Dwayne Wade scored 14 and Chris Bosh pitched in 13 for the Heat (56-24), who need to finish ahead of the C’s to wind up at No. 2 since Boston still holds the tiebreaker despite Sunday’s loss. The Celts get back to work on Monday night against the Wizards in D.C.

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

The Miami Heat’s vaunted trio of All-Stars hasn’t kept the team from experiencing plenty of ups and downs this season. The Denver Nuggets, meanwhile, have been mostly successful since trading away a superstar.

The Nuggets, however, will be attempting to bounce back from a disheartening loss Saturday night when they visit the Heat, winners in four of five.

Miami has proved successful lately but it wasn’t that long ago that the Heat (47-22) were enduring a season-high five consecutive losses. They’ve rebounded nicely from that skid and recorded their past three wins by an average of 28 points.

After falling 96-85 to visiting Oklahoma City on Wednesday, Miami got 43 points from LeBron James(notes) – in just three quarters – as it bounced back with a 106-85 rout of Atlanta on Friday. The All-Star forward scored 23 in his final period to help his team build on a 13-point halftime lead.

“My jump shot felt great,” James told the league’s website after shooting 16 of 21. “When my jump shot is on, there’s really nothing you can do about it defensively.”

The win helped the Heat move within 2 1/2 games of Chicago for the Eastern Conference lead. They’ll try to follow with only their fourth victory in 18 games against Denver (41-28).

The Nuggets enter this matchup 9-3 since trading Carmelo Anthony(notes) to New York on Feb. 22 and fifth in the West. However, they suffered an 85-82 road loss to Orlando on Friday as the Magic’s Jameer Nelson(notes) hit a 3-pointer as time expired.

The defeat ruined Denver’s drive for a fifth consecutive win and a season-high fourth in a row on the road.

“Tough loss,” coach George Karl said. “The guts of our team I thought was first class. Orlando makes you fight. I thought we did fight. Just came up a little short.”

Karl’s team also recorded its season low for points and worst shooting percentage (35.9 percent) in that game. The Nuggets, however, connected at a 53.3-percent clip in a 130-102 home win over Miami on Jan. 13.

Denver also benefited from the absence of James, who missed that game with a sprained left ankle.

Chris Bosh(notes) had a team-best 24 points for the Heat but Dwyane Wade(notes) was limited to 16 on 7-of-19 shooting. Anthony helped Denver claim its 10th win in 11 games against Miami with 21 points, but it was J.R. Smith(notes) who led the way with 28 off the bench.

“Everybody is going to look at it and say, ‘LeBron didn’t play,’” Smith said after that win. “As a competitor, you always want to play against the best players available.”

Smith and the Nuggets should get that chance Saturday, but will face a player who has averaged 37.0 points over his past three matchups with Denver. James recorded a triple-double – 43 points, 13 rebounds and 15 assists – during an overtime loss with Cleveland last season.

If there’s a slight advantage for the Nuggets, it might be that James is scoring slightly better on the road (27.7 ppg) than at home (25.0).

Denver is seeking its fifth win in six games in Miami, but fell 96-88 there on Nov. 6, 2009. Wade had 22 to lead five Heat players in double figures.

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

MIAMI — Oklahoma City had one of its worst shooting nights of the season. The way the Thunder played defense, hardly anyone noticed.

Except the Miami Heat.

Ex-Sonic Kevin Durant scored 29 points on 12-for-21 shooting, Russell Westbrook added 18 points and the Thunder gave Miami’s offense fits on the way to a 96-85 victory over the Heat on Wednesday night.

“Our defense was as good as it could possibly play,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said.

James Harden scored 12 points for the Thunder, which has won five straight. Oklahoma City shot 40 percent, and had been 7-13 when connecting on less than 43 percent of its chances this season.

The Thunder held the Heat to 38 percent shooting and had a 24-10 edge in second-chance points. Miami shot a season-low 29 percent after halftime.

“One thing we’ve gotten better at is closing games out,” Durant said.

Chris Bosh had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Dwyane Wade scored 21 points and LeBron James finished with 19 for the Heat, who had won three straight and were averaging 114 points in their last two games.

“We missed some pretty good chances,” Bosh said.

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra saluted what Oklahoma City did defensively.

“We have some of the best attackers in the game. They usually go over the top,” Spoelstra said. “They were being met at the rim. They forced us into some tough opportunities. Regardless of whether we feel there was contact or not, you have to give them credit with their defense.”

Notes

• Rodney Stuckey, a former standout at Eastern Washington and Kentwood High School in Covington, is the leading scorer for the Detroit Pistons. The point guard, who was replaced in the starting lineup by Tracy McGrady, played 27 minutes as a reserve and finished with a career-high 14 assists — while taking one shot. Stuckey appeared to pass up several shot attempts.

Immediately after the Pistons beat Toronto 107-93, Stuckey told Fox Sports Detroit: “I know I’m the starting point guard, but it is what it is.”

In the locker room, Stuckey was asked if he passed up shots to make a point because he was yanked from the starting lineup. “There is nothing to prove,” he said.

• Dwight Howard had 31 points and 22 rebounds to lead Orlando to a 93-89 overtime victory over the Bucks in Milwaukee. Milwaukee missed center Andrew Bogut, who didn’t play because of a migraine headache.

• With the Sacramento Kings exploring relocation to Anaheim, Calif., a Sacramento attorney representing the team’s owners filed for at least four federal trademark registrations this month.

Among the names filed for by Scott Hervey, according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office website, were: Anaheim Royals, Anaheim Royals of Southern California, Orange County Royals and Los Angeles Royals.

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MIAMI (Reuters) – Kevin Durant scored 29 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder cooled the surging Miami Heat with a 96-85 triumph on Wednesday for their fifth straight win.

Durant, the NBA’s leading scorer, won his one-on-one duel with fellow All-Star forward LeBron James as the Thunder snapped the Heat’s three-game winning streak.

“My team mates always put me in great positions to score. I’ve been working out as hard as I can this season and the shots are starting to fall for me,” Durant told reporters after adding seven rebounds and six assists.

“It was a great win for the Oklahoma City Thunder.”

Russell Westbrook added 18 points in the winning effort and Oklahoma City used defense to contain Miami which shot just 38 percent from the field.

Heat pair Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh scored 21 points each while James finished with 19 for Miami, which fell three games behind the top spot in the Eastern Conference held jointly by the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls.

“Tough game, and they beat us in a lot of the tough-area categories, particularly on the glass,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said.

The Heat (46-22) had responded to a five-game losing streak with a trio of impressive wins, including a 30-point blowout over the NBA-best San Antonio Spurs on Monday, but were undone by a poor second-half effort against Oklahoma City.

Miami managed just 40 points after the interval to allow the Thunder to turn a one-point halftime lead into a double-digit advantage.

Oklahoma City began the fourth quarter with an 11-2 run that gave the visitors a 78-66 lead with 7:39 remaining.

The Northwest Division-leading Thunder (44-23) have won eight of their last nine games and are fourth in the Western Conference.

Center Kendrick Perkins played in his second game for the Thunder after he missed nine contests with a knee injury since the team acquired him in a trade with the Boston Celtics.

Perkins played limited minutes but is expected to provide a strong defensive presence.

(Editing by John O’Brien)

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.