LeBron’s Gets Win with 3-Pointer, Hawks See Fifth Straight Loss

In a Wednesday night full of games before the NBA All-Star break, the Miami Heat’s (37-14) LeBron James again dominated headlines with his 3-pointer at the buzzer for an 111-110 win over the Golden State Warriors (31-22).

James, keeping an eye on the clock, let time run down just enough for the game-winning 3. For the player, this wasn’t business as usual as he entered the game 2-of-9 from 3-point range with a minute or less remaining in the game and the score within a 5-point range, according to ESPN Stats.

The successful shot completed his 36 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists for the night. In a meh response, James said of it via the Associated Press, “I was going for the win the whole time.” and later added, “Better offense, beats better defense every time.”

LeBron James

This is also the same player who said earlier in the day that when he retires, he’ll do so as one of the NBA’s top four players (aka NBA Rushmore). Ever.

James sits at 7/2 to become the 2014 All-Star Game’s MVP.

But he was not alone in scoring on Wednesday as Chris Bosh added 19 points and five rebounds while Michael Beasley exited the bench to score 16 points. Dwyane Wade was absent from the lineup, battling a foot injury.

With his absence, Wade is now questionable for Sunday’s All-Star Game. The player said he has a condition called “drop foot” and has plans to consult with a doctor upon arriving in New Orleans. Wade said of playing this weekend, “…I’m not optimistic, I’m not pessimistic [for the All-Star Game], I just want it to get better.”

Meanwhile for the Warriors, Stephen Curry led in scoring with his 29 points and seven assists while David Lee added 21 points with 11 rebounds. The team played without its centers Andrew Bogut (shoulder) and Jermaine O’Neal (wrist).

Curry sits at 2/1 to win the All-Star Game’s 3-point contest.

The Heat will enter the break 2½ games behind the Indiana Pacers (40-12) in the Eastern Conference. They’ll return to action on Tuesday and play the Dallas Mavericks (32-22). Miami is 12/5 to win the 2014 NBA Championship.

In other Southeast Division action on Wednesday which included all losses, the Atlanta Hawks (25-26) lost their fifth straight game. This time they fell to the Toronto Raptors, 104-83. With the loss, the Hawks are now under .500–a first since Dec. 2 when they owned a 9-10 record.

So what’s the problem with the team? Coach Mike Budenholzer said it’s lacking some energy.

He said via the Associated Press, “When we have good energy and we’re able to sustain it for 48 minutes, that’s when we’re at our best. Right now, we’re struggling to sustain it for 48 minutes. You’re seeing that with either a good start and we’re not able to maintain it or we dig ourselves a hole and we try to come back. In this league, that’s just too hard.”

Paul Millsap

For his players, this led to 18 points with 10 rebounds by Gustavo Ayon while Paul Millsap added 17 points. Jeff Teague contributed 13 with Cartier Martin chipping in with 10 points.

Millsap has been selected to the All-Star team for the first time and sits at 70/1 to be the MVP.

As for a team apparently playing with greater energy, DeMar DeRozan scored 31 points with Kyle Lowry adding 16 points and 13 assists for the Raptors. With the win, they ended a five-game home losing steak and defeated the Hawks for the first time on their home court since March 17, 2010.

The Hawks will look to end their losing streak on Tuesday against the Pacers.

Other Wednesday scores included the Washington Wizards losing to the Houston Rockets, 113-112; the Charlotte Bobcats falling to the Brooklyn Nets, 105-89 and the Orlando Magic dropping to the Memphis Grizzlies, 86-81.