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Heat rally past slumping Timberwolves
(AP)
Updated: 2006-01-02 11:41
MIAMI - Dwyane Wade scored 19 points and the Miami Heat used a big third
quarter to pull away to a 97-70 victory over the slumping Minnesota Timberwolves
on Sunday night.
Miami Heat Alonzo
Mourning (33) catches a rebound in front of Minnesota Timerwolves Mark
Madsen (35) during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game, Sunday,
Jan. 1, 2006, in Miami. [AP] | Shaquille O'Neal
had 16 points and Alonzo Mourning had 13 points and 10 rebounds for Miami, which
allowed a season low in points, set a season high for margin of victory and held
the Timberwolves to their lowest total this year.
James Posey had 11 points and Gary Payton added 10 for the Heat (19-13), who
outscored Minnesota 56-26 in the second half and moved to a season-high six
games over .500.
Wally Szczerbiak scored 19 points, Rashad McCants added 13 and Kevin Garnett
matched a season low with 11 for Minnesota (14-14), which is 2-8 in its last 10
games but remains atop the Midwest Division.
Miami outscored Minnesota 25-6 in the opening 7:30 of the third quarter,
turning a three-point halftime deficit into a 66-50 lead.
Wade had nine points in the run — eclipsing the six he managed in the entire
first half — and O'Neal added six, including the first two baskets of the second
half.
The Heat hit 10 of their first 15 shots in the third quarter while forcing
the Timberwolves, who dropped their fourth straight road game, into missing
eight of their first 10 tries after halftime. Miami outscored Minnesota 32-15 in
the third, matching the Heat's largest one-quarter margin of the season.
Minnesota was 9-for-13 in the first 7:13 of the game; the Timberwolves were
9-for-40 over the next 27 minutes.
Miami missed eight straight shots midway through the opening half, and
trailed 33-24 after Michael Olowokandi's dunk with 6:02 left. The Heat got
within 44-41 at halftime, getting a boost by Jason Williams and Posey combining
to connect three times from 3-point range in the final 2:58.
Szczerbiak, who averaged 24.9 points in December, had 12 points in the first
half. He missed eight of his first 10 shots, then connected on his final three
of the half — including a 3-pointer with 1:19 remaining that pushed Minnesota's
lead back to six and negated a 3-pointer that Williams hit 35 seconds earlier.
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