LeBron James scores 35 as Miami Heat hunt down Milwaukee Bucks

The Miami Heat got exactly what they wanted last night in Milwaukee; redemption. Following a pair of losses to the Bucks this season, the Heat got a most convincing win over Milwaukee, 114-96. The game started out in a similar way to the previous two, with Miami giving away points on turnovers and not looking as sharp as they generally do.

They finally got their stuff together about half way through the second quarter. The Heat closed the first half on a 20-9 run, and eventually turned that stretch into a 34-13 advantage. Miami maintained their ‘hot' status throughout the third quarter, making 13 of their 20 shots and taking a 16-point lead into the fourth quarter.

That allowed the Heat to rest their main rotation players during the fourth quarter, for the second consecutive game. That is especially important right now as Miami is in the middle of playing their one and only 3 games in 3 nights stretch of the season. Only two teams have won all three games in such a stretch this year, and those are the top two teams in each conference (Chicago and Oklahoma City).

Dwyane Wade and LeBron James put on a show for those in attendance at the Bradley Center. Wade once again cracked the 20-point mark, finishing with 22 to go with 5 rebounds and 4 assists. LeBron took it upon himself to make his mark, and he did with a couple of signature King James dunks, one of which he leapt from almost the free throw line.

GAME NOTES

• LeBron finished with 35 points on 16-for-21 shooing. He grabbed 8 rebounds and added 3 assists and a steal.
• The Heat are now 12-2 this season when LeBron scores at least 30 points.
• The win moved Miami to within a half game of Chicago for first place in the Eastern Conference.
• Chris Bosh scored just 8 points on 3-of-8 shooting, though he did add 7 boards, 4 assists and a block.
• Solid game for Mike Miller, who hit 3 of his 4 shots from downtown, coming away with 9 points and 8 rebounds.
• Mario Chalmers is picking right up where he left off when he injured his left hand last week. He hit 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and 5-of-7 from the field.
• Norris Cole scored in double figures for the second straight game, coming away with another 10-point effort. 6 of those 10 points came from the free throw line, a very good sign for Norris.

Next up, the Heat will try to complete their back-to-back-to-back stretch with a third straight win on Tuesday night in Indiana. Tipoff from Bankers Life Fieldhouse is at 7pm, and the game will be broadcast nationally on NBA TV.