The Miami Heat and their consecutive road win streak were almost done in by a giant and a hobbit. But the Heat managed to keep their bearings and survived a tenacious Milwaukee Bucks in a 101-95 overtime victory.
Seven-foot center Andrew Bogut grabbed 27 rebounds -- a record against the Heat -- and tiny five-foot-five point guard Earl Boykins harassed the Heat with 14 points, including an impossible bank shot with 1.5 left to force the game into OT. Boykins would turn out to be a damn pest throughout. But he's just so darn tiny and adorable! Look at him go!
Each of the Big Three had their share of struggles tonight, with bad shots, bad fouls and cooling off periods. But, in the end, the Tres Reyes prevailed and managed to lead Miami to their 12th straight road victory -- their 20th win in 21 tries.
Chris Bosh was tonight's hero, scoring 10 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. LeBron James led all Heat scorers with 26, while Dwyane Wade slogged his way to a 14-point, 7-rebound performance.
Tonight's What The Shit!? Moment came in the form of the Heat blowing a 16-point lead, allowing the Bucks' Chris Douglas-Roberts to drop 30 on their asses, while Bogut ate the boards with his 27 rebounds. And, of course, there was Boykins, running around like an atomic flea and raining down shots on a whim.
Knotted at 95 in the final moments of overtime, Milwaukee's John Salmons missed a 3-point attempt. Bosh was then fouled, and made his two free throws. Carlos Arroyo added a layup after a LeBron steal, putting the Heat up by four. But, with 1:01 remaining, Boykins hit another wild bank shot, bringing the Bucks within two. On their next possession, down by two, Boykins' ran out of Leprechaun Juice (because he's short, you see) and missed his 3-point attempt. Arroyo was fouled, and hit his two free throws to ice the game.
It was a slugfest. There were no high-flying dunks by the Heat this time around. Just a scrappy win to keep pace with the Celtics (Miami is half a game behind the C's in the East) while remaining four games ahead of the suddenly hot Orlando Magic in the Southeast.
With their 12th straight road win the Heat are now four away from tying the 1971-72 Lakers for most consecutive road games in NBA history. The Heat visit Portland on Sunday.
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