All-Star guard Dwyane Wade returned from a six-game injury absence with 28 points to lead the Miami Heat to a 99-89 win over the New York Knicks in an up-tempo encounter on Friday.
Wade had been sidelined with an ankle injury, but already looked back to his best as he and LeBron James (31 points) racked up 10 dunks and 59 points between them to condemn the Knicks to their eighth loss in nine games.
At times, the Wade-James combination looked the best it has done this season and left Miami coach Erik Spoelstra purring.
Photo: AFP
“They did a very good job of playing off each other, getting out in the open court, playing off each other on cuts in the half court and one guy being aggressive and the other guy playing off that,” Spoelstra said. “Then there at the end LeBron really has taken another step forward in terms of his aggressiveness.”
New York were without their leading forward Carmelo Anthony, who sat out the game with a wrist and ankle injuries and they relied heavily on three-point shots — attempting 43 of them, the most in any NBA game this season, making 18.
Bill Walker top scored for the Knicks with 21 points — all of them from beyond the arc — for New York, who have just one win this season over a team with a .500 record.
Photo: AFP
While the Knicks struggle, Miami, who have won five of their past six games at their American Airlines Arena, are starting to click and were clearly delighted to have Wade back.
Spoelstra revealed after the game that the Heat had decided to give Wade an extended break in order to get his physical condition back to its best.
“We had a collective franchise decision on this — we were going to make sure that we would get his body right,” he said. “In normal years he would probably have tried to play in the Lakers game [on Jan. 20], but we held him out another week just to make sure he felt right.”
Wade shot 11 of 19 on field goals and was on court for 32 minutes looking sharp from the outset with an early dunk that brought a huge roar from the crowd.
The Heat are now set for a clash with Eastern Conference leaders the Chicago Bulls today, a repeat of last season’s Conference Finals which Miami won before going on to lose to Dallas in the NBA Finals.
In other games, it was:
‧ Bulls 107, Bucks 100
‧ Nuggets 96, Raptors 81
‧ Mavericks 116, Jazz 101
‧ Thunder 120, Warriors 109
‧ Timberwolves 87, Spurs 79
‧ Celtics 94, Pacers 87
‧ Hawks 107, Pistons 101, OT
‧ Trail Blazers 109, Suns 71
‧ 76ers 89, Bobcats 72
‧ Hornets 93, Magic 67
‧ Nets 99, Cavaliers 96
‧ Rockets 103, Wizards 76
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
Liverpool are in advanced talks with former AFC Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola as they seek a replacement for Arne Slot, reports said on Tuesday. Iraola has emerged as Liverpool’s top target to replace Slot, who was sacked on Saturday last week after a turbulent second season in charge. Liverpool have reportedly agreed a deal in principle to bring the Spaniard, who left Bournemouth at the end of this season, to Anfield. Sporting director Richard Hughes was heavily involved in hiring Iraola during his time at Bournemouth and is again spearheading the recruitment of the highly rated coach. The Reds are
KNICKS TAKE LEAD: San Antonio put on a 9-0 run to be up 95-94 with just over 2 minutes to play, but the rest of the game belonged to the New York Knicks It was past five minutes through the third quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday and the New York Knicks’ 11-game winning streak was in major jeopardy. The Knicks missed nine of their first 10 shots in the early part of the period and trailed the San Antonio Spurs by 14 points. They were floundering. Then something crazy happened. The Knicks found new life from an unlikely source: The Spurs. New York rallied to tie the game by the end of the period, gave up the lead briefly late in the fourth quarter, and pulled away late for a 105-95
RSS