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 With Bryant a late scratch to give him a rest for back soreness, the
Heat handled the Los Angeles Lakers 101-88 on Tuesday night shortly
after trading Mario Chalmers, the starting point guard from their
recent back-to-back championship teams.
Forward Chris Bosh led the Heat with 30 points on 9-of-16 shooting
from the field and 10-of-12 from the free-throw line. Not to be
outdone by his teammate, center Hassan Whiteside finished with 19
points, 15 rebounds and three blocks. The NBA's leading shot blocker
went 8-for-12 from the floor.
The Heat (5-3) are 2-0 to start their seven-game homestand.
The Lakers (1-6) fell in the middle game of a five-game road trip
after beating the Brooklyn Nets and losing to the New York Knicks.
"This afternoon I had trouble walking," said Bryant of his back. "I
messed it up a little bit during training camp -- just 20 years (of
playing). It's not back spasms or anything like that. It's just wear
and tear."
With the big men contributing significantly, Miami outscored Los
Angeles in the paint 46-30 and outrebounded the Lakers 47-36.
It's a far cry from the "position-less basketball" approach Heat
utilized during the Big 3, often going small with its lineup.
"You can still play with two bigs," Bosh said. "It's not a necessity
that you go super small all the time. If it works, it works."
Heat guard Dwyane Wade finished with 12 points and six assists, but
did not score his first points until the middle of the second
quarter. Forward Luol Deng added 14 points, connecting on three
3-pointers.
Heat players reacted postgame to the Chalmers trade.
"Mario is my guy," Wade said. "Whenever you lose teammates,
especially someone you've been with for a long time, someone you've
won championships with, it's not easy."
Added Bosh: "It is always the part of the business that is a tough
pill to swallow."
Lakers guard Nick Young scored 14 of his team-high 17 points in the
first half. Forward Metta World Peace and guard Lou Williams added
14 points apiece.
Young and World Peace started a combined 9-for-9 on 3-point
attempts. The Lakers finished 11-of-22 on 3-pointers.
Holding a double-digit lead, the Heat got a pair of highlights from
the bench in the fourth quarter.
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Guard Tyler Johnson, who scored nine points, left Lakers guard
Marcelo Huertas behind with a crossover dribble and then drew
contact at the rim for a skillful and-one layup. Johnson later fed
forward Josh McRoberts, who had four points, four rebounds and three
assists, for a tomahawk slam.
"It feels good just knowing that all the hard work you're putting in
is paying off," said Johnson, whose progression -- in addition to
the luxury tax relief -- is a major reason the organization felt
comfortable dealing Chalmers. "The biggest thing for me is just to
put my head down and continue to get better."
Young gave the Lakers a spark off the bench early in the second
quarter, connecting on his first five field-goal attempts and first
four 3-point tries. He added another 3-pointer in the third.
"I just had a good shoot-around today," Young said. "I got a lot of
shots up and just felt good. It was a blessing it was going in. We
just got to finish games."
After a review of the last jumper of his streak was changed from a
two-point shot to a 3-pointer, it capped a 21-4 Lakers run that
wiped out the Heat's first-quarter lead. Young scored all 14 of his
first-half points during the stretch.
Miami led 50-49 at halftime before taking control in the second
half.
"I think all of a sudden we started to go away from each other. We
can't win like that," Lakers coach Byron Scott said. "(We were) not
trusting each other. You've got to find out now if you want to be in
the foxhole with these guys."
NOTES: The Heat traded G Mario Chalmers and F James Ennis to the
Memphis Grizzlies for G Beno Udrih and F Jarnell Stokes on Tuesday.
Chalmers has won two NBA titles with the Heat, the only team he's
played for in eight seasons. ... G/F Kobe Bryant's last game in
Miami was Feb. 10, 2013. ... With Bryant inactive, rookie G/F
Anthony Brown was activated for the Lakers. C Robert Sacre was the
other Los Angeles inactive. ... Miami announced G Gerald Green was
suspended for two games for conduct detrimental to the team. Green,
who missed the previous four outings, will sit for a total of six
games. He will rejoin the Heat on Friday after Thursday's meeting
with the Utah Jazz.
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