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 Guard Mario Chalmers scored 19 points and recorded eight assists,
and the Heat captured a 78-75 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in a
duel of struggling offenses at Staples Center.
Reserve center Hassan Whiteside had 15 points, nine rebounds and
five blocks, and forward Chris Andersen added 12 points, eight
rebounds and three blocks as the Heat (17-21) won for the third time
in four games.
"We all came together as a whole and just kind of grinded it out,"
said Whiteside, who scored in double figures for the fifth
consecutive game. "Everybody had to take on more responsibility.
When one of our brothers goes down, everybody felt like we had to
take on more of a responsibility to fill that void."
Wade left the game in the second quarter with a mild left hamstring
strain and did not return. He is listed as day-to-day. Wade finished
with four points, five rebounds and five assists in 15 minutes.
Bosh managed just eight points on 4-of-17 shooting. He also had
eight rebounds.
Despite hitting 31.5 percent of their shots from the floor compared
to 42.3 percent for the Heat, the Lakers had a chance to force
overtime. However, guard Kobe Bryant's 3-point attempt with 1.9
seconds remaining bounced off the rim, allowing the Heat to prevail.
"It felt good. It just came out short," said Bryant, who made just
three of 19 shots and only two of nine from 3-point range in 31
minutes.
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra praised Chalmers.
"Down the stretch, without Dwyane, (Chalmers) had to make a lot of
plays for us, particularly since (Bosh) was struggling to get the
ball in the basket," Spoelstra said.
Chalmers also keyed the Heat on defense.
"He set the tone defensively," Spoelstra said. "He and Luol (Deng)
picked up 90 feet with their defensive energy."
Chalmers, who scored nine points in the final period, lifted the
Heat by scoring on consecutive possessions late in the contest. His
driving layup with 1:14 remaining was the difference.
A 3-point basket by Bryant and a layup by forward Wesley Johnson cut
the Heat's lead to 72-70 with 2:05 left in the game. Chalmers capped
Miami's scoring with another driving layup with 33.9 seconds left,
giving the Heat a 78-72 advantage.
Bryant answered with another 3-pointer with 31.3 seconds left,
cutting the margin to three, but neither team scored again.
"We kept battling," Lakers coach Byron Scott said. "The one positive
is we continued to play hard."
Bryant, who returned after Scott rested him for two games, center
Jordan Hill and forward Ed Davis scored 12 points apiece for the
Lakers, who dropped their fourth decision in five games. Bryant also
had seven assists and six rebounds.
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The Lakers (12-27) stayed within striking distance despite missing
their first 11 shots and falling behind 18-0. They finally got on
the board when Bryant hit an 18-foot jumper at 4:23 of the first
quarter. Still, they trailed only 22-12 at the end of the opening
quarter and 44-34 at the half.
Miami scored 38 of its 44 first-half points in the paint compared to
only 16 for Los Angeles. Overall, the Heat outscored the Lakers
58-40 inside.
Both clubs had awful efforts on 3-pointers. The Heat hit just two of
16 attempts (12.5 percent), while the Lakers sank four of 23 (17.4
percent).
Lakers guard Nick Young failed to break out of his shooting slump,
missing nine of 11 shots and three of four 3-pointers. He scored
eight points.
The Heat also committed 19 turnovers to 12 for the Lakers.
NOTES: Lakers coach Byron Scott said G Kobe Bryant would sit out
Friday's contest against the Jazz in Utah. The game will be the
second of back-to-back games, with Los Angeles hosting the Cleveland
Cavaliers on Thursday. Bryant isn't expected to play consecutive
games the rest of the season. "Right now, I think he's at a point
where his body can only take so much, and you want to get as much as
you can out of him without taxing him too much as far as the minutes
are concerned," said Scott, who plans to keep the 36-year-old at
30-32 minutes per game. Scott added that if Bryant plays 32 minutes
in regulation and the Lakers are forced to an overtime, he won't use
him. ... Lakers C Jordan Hill hyperextended his left knee in the
second half. His status for Thursday's game is unknown. ... The
clubs will meet again Jan. 23 in Miami. ... The Heat visit the
Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
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reserved.]
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