Miami-Memphis: Wade Burns Grizzlies for 35 as Heat Win 99-93

The Miami Heat’s star guard, Dwyane Wade, hasn’t been asked to do much this preseason. He’s averaged just over 16 points on 38.6-percent shooting in the three exhibition games he’s taken part in, two of them losses.

Part of that’s due to the fact he’s nursed a strained rib muscle over the past week or so. He also entered last night’s preseason contest against the Memphis Grizzlies ailing from a bruised left calf, but that didn’t stop him from returning to midseason form and showing the world why he was the NBA scoring champion last year by pouring in 35 points in a 99-93 victory over the Grizzlies.

Apparently a little upset at the four losses the Heat had suffered prior to their scorching 97-81 victory over the Hornets last Thursday night you can read about here , Wade was determined to not see his team return to those losing ways.

As he put it after the game, “I was just trying to get a win, and I wanted to be aggressive, just to get my rhythm.”

Wade’s aggression was obvious, as he even argued with some of the replacement referees during the game, and willed his team to a victory in a game they’d trailed in by 18 at one point, 43-25, by pushing them to play their best.

Grizzlies’ star forward Rudy Gay wasn’t so pleased with his aggression when Wade fouled him in the third quarter on a breakaway dunk Gay was attempting, saying to Dwyane after the foul, “Come on man, it’s preseason.”

Preseason or not, Wade wasn’t going to lose, not this night. Scoring 14 of the Heat’s first 20 points, he finished with 19 by halftime and was Miami’s leading scorer after two quarters.

Memphis had jumped out of the gate on a tear, taking that 18-point lead and scorching the Heat with their shooting. Miami, however, stormed back and tied the game up at 60-60 on Wade’s turnaround jumper from the left corner with 9:27 left in the third quarter.

While the Grizzlies showed some moxie, the Heat seemed to heed Wade’s prodding and appeared determined not to fall to the squad from Memphis.

As Heat forward Udonis Haslem put it, “It’s good to get a win and show that we have some resolve, that even if we bend, we don’t break.”

Miami bent to the Grizzlies, mostly due to the impressive play of Gay, who poured in 28 points on 11-for-21 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds, helping his team jump out to a 24-7 lead after just 5 minutes—as they hit 11 of their first 17 shots.

Mike Conley added 12 points and three rebounds in the Memphis loss in limited minutes, connecting on 5-of-8 of his field goals, including 2-for-2 from downtown.

However, second-year forward and budding star for the Grizzlies, O.J. Mayo, didn’t live up to his team’s expectations, going 4-for-14 from the field and 1-of-4 from beyond the arc. He was his team’s second-leading scorer, though, and also contributed with four rebounds, two assists, and five steals.

Memphis forward Zach Randolph, acquired by the Grizzlies in the offseason from the Los Angeles Clippers, also didn’t do much to help his team stave off their fifth loss of the preseason, as he was a woeful 2-for-12 from the field, and 1-of-3 from the charity stripe for just five points on the night. He did contribute on the boards, as he hauled down 10 rebounds on the night.

Center Marc Gasol, brother of Los Angeles Lakers’ All-Star forward Pau Gasol, rounded out the Grizzlies’ starting lineup and put in a workman-like night scoring nine points to go along with nine rebounds and one blocked shot.

Memphis, who played four seven-footers, including the aforementioned Gasol, as well as Hasheem Thabeet, Steven Hunter, and Hadem Haddadi, found itself being overmatched by the smaller Heat squad, who ended the night with a 7-3 edge in blocked shots.

That was in large part because Jermaine O’Neal played defense like Miami fans are hoping he’s still capable of throughout the regular season, blocking four shots to go along with his eight points and eight rebounds.

O’Neal was once one of the premier defenders in the league, terrorizing opponents who went to the hole, and while his play last year with the Heat never truly lived up to those expectations, Heat fans still hold out hope he can instill fear in anyone daring enough to drive to the basket against Miami this year.

Last night’s performance might be evidence he’s ready to do just that.

Another key contribution to the win last night came from Udonis Haslem. Not enough can be said about how important UD is to Miami’s success this season. Underrated, in my view, throughout his career, Haslem is someone who gives 100 percent every night.

Last night was no different, as he put in another yeoman-like performance, scoring 17 points efficiently on 7-of-9 shooting to go along with his team-high nine rebounds and three assists.

Miami Heat fans should expect just these kind of outings for Haslem this year, who has vowed to be more aggressive on offense this season. Considering it’s a contract year for UD, I’m guessing Miami can count on him to keep that vow.

Heat guard Daequan Cook also looked decent in the Miami win, although his shooting could have looked better as he went 4-for-12 from the field, including a dismal 1-of-6 from three-point land to end the night with 10 points, six rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Yet, his banked-in runner with 1.5 seconds remaining in the third quarter did give Miami a 79-71 edge heading into the final period.

It was in that fourth and final quarter where Wade truly shone, pouring in 11 points in the final period to seal the victory for the Heat. After Thabeet capped off a 7-0 run that was part of a 15-4 run by the Grizzlies, and brought them to within one point at 94-93, it was Wade at his best that preserved the victory.

With just 40 seconds remaining Wade brought the ball into the frontcourt against Memphis rookie DeMarre Carroll. Milking the shot-clock to under five seconds, he then proceeded to school the youngster, pulling up for a 16-foot jumper from the left side of the key, using a head fake to draw the first-year player into the air, and then drawing contact as he watched his shot go in. After the free-throw, the score was 97-93, and the game was effectively over.

“I had to use my veteran-ness at that moment,” Wade said. “He was a young buck, so I know how it is. When you’re young, you’re excited. So; got him.”

Got him, and the Grizzlies, who had one last chance to close the gap in the score, even if they couldn’t have tied the game. Yet, even that wasn’t going to happen, as they lost the ball and Haslem scrambled for it, throwing himself on the ground for the loose ball and then tossing it from his knees to Wade for a breakaway dunk to seal the scoring at 99-93.

All told, Wade scored 35 points for the night on 13-for-23 shooting, including going 9-of-14 from the free-throw line. He also added five rebounds, two assists, and six steals to round out his impressive stat-line.

However, neither head coach Eric Spoelstra nor Wade were pleased he had to contribute so heavily in order to ensure a win.

“Hopefully we don’t have to deal with this too much this year.” Wade said in response to queries about his having to carry the team on his back.

Some of that came about because the Heat were without the services of second-year forward Michael Beasley, who sat out the game due to a bruised left shoulder and sprained right thumb. Neither injury is very serious, and Spoelstra expected Beasley might play tonight against the Hawks in Miami’s final preseason game in Jacksonville.

“He’s going to come with us and we’ll see,” Spoelstra said. “He doesn’t really have much pain today.”

Whether Beasley plays tonight against the Hawks, the Heat will need to get a much better contribution from their starting point guard, Mario Chalmers. While the rest of the Heat played pretty well, Chalmers seemed off his game, going scoreless in 21:13 minutes on 0-for-2 shooting from the field.

He did contribute with three rebounds, three assists, and a steal, though, but will need to find his touch tonight and throughout the season if he expects to hold off a challenge from newly acquired point guard Carlos Arroyo.

Arroyo, who played his college ball for local Miami school Florida International University, finished the night with eight points on 4-for-6 shooting, along with four assists and a steal in 26 minutes of play as Spoelstra gave him and Dorell Wright, who had seven points on 3-for-5 shooting, more playing time than he did two starters, Chalmers and Quentin Richardson.

Richardson also needs to step up his game, as he finished the night with just five points on 2-for-6 shooting, including 1-of-3 from downtown in just 16:48 minutes of play. If he’s expecting to be the difference-maker we need this season, he’ll have to show a great deal more than that tonight against the Hawks and more importantly, against his former squad, the New York Knicks, next Wednesday.

Although last nights’ game didn’t reflect it, Miami needs to really fine-tune their perimeter defense, and another issue is being beaten on the boards. Even in a win, the Heat still managed to get out-rebounded by the Grizzlies 48-39, including a 14-7 margin on the offensive glass. That won’t get it done when Miami plays teams who aren’t from Tennessee.

While the Heat can count on Wade any night to will them to a win, they need more than just two or three others to contribute significantly. Hopefully they’ll see that begin tonight against the Hawks.

Quotes taken from the following:

Wade in Regular-Season Form, With 35 in Exhibition Win Over Grizzlies

By Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Wade Scores 35, Heat Get Past Grizzlies 99-93

Bye Tim Reynolds, AP Sports Writer

Game Note: Allen Iverson, who was expected to possibly play, was scratched from the lineup due to a decision by the Memphis coaching staff.