LeBron James and the Miami Heat target their first winning streak of the season when they resume a three-game homestand tonight versus the Phoenix Suns at AmericanAirlines Arena.
The Heat opened defense of their NBA title with a win versus Boston, but were beaten badly in New York on Friday night. They rebounded with Saturday's 119-116 victory over the Denver Nuggets in the opener of the residency, as Chris Bosh exploded for 40 points on 15-of-22 shooting. It was the most points Bosh had with the Heat.
Ray Allen netted 23 points off the bench, hitting 6-of-10 3-pointers, and buried the go-ahead shot from beyond the arc with 6.7 seconds left. Allen was fouled on the play and sank the free throw.
"I got to that corner. (Corey) Brewer helped and turned his head just one split second and LeBron found me. It was curtains," Allen said of his shot.
James finished with 20 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds for Miami, which shot 51.8 percent for the game and held on despite being outrebounded by a 47-32 margin. Miami had just eight turnovers one day after committing 21.
Dwyane Wade scored 14 points in the win and center Joel Anthony made his first appearance after missing time with a hamstring injury. Anthony played just 7:19 and did not score.
Miami will wrap up its homestand Wednesday versus the Brooklyn Nets.
Phoenix is 1-2 on the season and dropped a 115-94 decision at Orlando Sunday in the opener of a three-game road trip.
Luis Scola led the way with 24 points and Michael Beasley netted 22 for the Suns, who were coming off a home win over Detroit and committed 16 turnovers for 20 Orlando points. Phoenix also blew a 14-point lead in the third quarter.
"They made shots, and our timing was off defensively," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "We have to do a better job defensively."
The Suns are slated to close out their trek Wednesday at Charlotte. Scola leads the team in scoring with 17.3 PPG, while Beasley is right behind with 15.3 PPG. Both players were acquired in the offseason.
Phoenix lost its only matchup with Miami last season, suffering a 99-95 setback in south Florida on March 20. The Heat have won four in a row and seven of the past eight meetings in this series.