BOSTON (AP) – Nanggaling ang Miami Heat mula sa masakit na pagkatalo sa Milwaukee, at wala ang tatlong nitong key players dahil sa injuries sa laro laban sa Bucks.
Alam ni Goran Dragic kung ano ang dapat niyang gawin.
Nagtala si Dragic ng 22 puntos at pitong assists, at nagawang talunin ng Heat ang Boston Celtics, 93-86, kahapon.
‘’When one of the main guys is out, all of the other guys have to step in,’’ sabi niya. ‘’That was my mentality before the game that I have to carry this team. We accomplished that. We won.’’
Umiskor si Luol Deng ng 15 puntos para sa Mimai, habang 12 puntos at 12 rebounds naman ang kay Udonis Haslem. Kapwa nagtala rin ng 12 puntos sina Henry Walker at Tyler Johnson.
Naglaro ang Miami na wala sina Dwyane Wade, Hassan Whiteside at Chris Andersen, ngunit nakabawi naman sila mula sa nakadidismayang 89-88 na kabiguan sa Milwaukee noong Martes. Sinayang ng Heat ang 14 puntos na abante sa huling 6 1/2 minuto laban sa Bucks.
‘’The example he set tonight, constantly hitting the floor for loose balls,’’ saad ni Heat coach Erik Spoelstra tungkol kay Dragic, ‘’it set the tone and the example for everybody else. That’s probably what would decide this game. It was pretty ugly there in the fourth, but those loose balls and the extra rebounds where what really decided it.’’
Nanalo ang Miami (33-38) sa apat sa kanilang huling anim na laro at ikapito sa Eastern Conference playoff race.
Umiskor si Jae Crowder ng 16 puntos at 12 ang nagmula kay Avery Bradley para sa Celtics, na nananatili sa ikawalo at huling playoff position sa East.
‘’We came out real flat and they took advantage of that,’’ turan ni Boston guard Marcus Smart.
Si Wade, na may average na team-high na 21.6 puntos, ay na-sideline dahil sa namamagang kaliwang tuhod. Natahi naman ang kanang kamay ni Whiteside nang mahiwa ito sa second quarter laban sa Bucks, at wala si Andersen dahil sa bruised left calf.
Ngunit nakalamang ang Miami ng 17 sa halftime laban sa Boston at binuhat ang 82-62 na abante papasok sa final period.
‘’In the fourth quarter they played with great emotion and hard as heck and got us back into it, but then we just didn’t make very good decisions or play with poise late, which sometimes happens when you’re trying to mount a furious comeback,’’ lahad ni Boston coach Brad Stevens.
Katulad ng kanilang laro laban sa Milwaukee, naging passive ang Heat sa huling yugto, nag-ubos ng oras sa kanilang offensive possessions na sinamantala ng Celtics upang makapagtayo ng rally.
‘’We were fantastic the first three quarters,’’ ani Dragic. ‘’I don’t know if it was fatigue or we were thinking it would be like the last one.’’
Nakaiskor si Dragic ng 17 puntos sa first half upang tulungan ang Miami na makuha ang 57-40 na abante sa break. Tinapos ng Heat ang second quarter sa kanilang 9-2 run.
Resulta ng ibang laro:
LA Clippers 111, New York 80
Atlanta 95, Orlando 83
Indiana 103, Washington 101
Chicago 116, Toronto 103
Brooklyn 91, Charlotte 88
Houston 95, New Orleans 93
LA Lakers 101, Minnesota 99 (OT)
Cleveland 111, Memphis 89
Philadelphia 99, Denver 85
Portland 92, Utah 89
