Chris Bosh loves Christmas. His 30 points and 10 rebounds led the Miami Heat past the New Orleans Pelicans for an ugly 94-88 overtime win, kicking off the NBA's slate of five games on Christmas day. The Heat gave up a double-digit lead in the fourth, but were able to hold on down the stretch. They pulled away in overtime on the heals of Bosh on a night when both teams struggled offensively.
NBA Christmas 2015, Pelicans vs. Heat results: 3 things we learned in Miami’s ugly OT win
Anthony Davis was superb, but the Miami Heat were better thanks to a big game from Chris Bosh
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Bosh led the way for the Heat but Hassan Whiteside was great, too. He had eight points, 17 rebounds and four blocks -- but he didn’t play in crunch time. The Heat climbed to 17-11 with the win, while the Pelicans fell to 9-20 on the season.
Anthony Davis was superb even in the loss, with 29 points, 15 rebounds, four steals, four assists and three blocks. The Pelicans came back from a 13-point deficit in the fourth, but weren't able to pull off the comeback.
The Heat jumped out to a 12-point first quarter lead, but the Pelicans were able to chip away thanks to Davis -- and not much else. Davis had 20 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks in the first half alone. He was everywhere, taking 18 of the Pelicans’ 43 shots in the first 24 minutes, and was cleaning up even when his teammates missed:
DAVIS WITH THE FLUSH! @ESPN #NBARapidReplay #NOPatMIA https://t.co/72cmYlU6PO
— NBA (@NBA) December 25, 2015 Davis got no help, though. His teammates were 6-of-25 from the field and the Pelicans trailed 42-38 at the half.
The third quarter was ugly. The Pelicans scored only nine points through the first nine minutes of the frame. The Heat took advantage even though they couldn’t buy a bucket -- despite shooting 39.7 percent from the floor through three quarters they had a 63-52 lead heading into the fourth.
Ryan Anderson caught fire in the fourth. He hit two from deep and two jumpers, scoring 10 of the Pelicans first 14 points in the fourth -- Davis had the other four. The Pelicans tied the game with five minutes to play thanks to an 18-5 run.
Both teams traded buckets down the stretch, but it appeared the Heat were going to pull away in the final moments. Dwyane Wade drove through the lane uncontested to tie the game with 1:09 left, then Gerald Green stole the ball on the next possession for an easy fast break bucket to take the lead. Fortunately for New Orleans, Eric Gordon drove to the lane uncontested to tie the game, and Bosh missed a tough jumper. Davis missed a game winner, though, and this one went to overtime.
There, both teams continued to struggle offensively. Finally, Wade found Luol Deng for a three with just under three minutes to play that gave the Heat the lead. Bosh and Wade hit tough shots to extend the lead to five -- a lead they wouldn't give up this time.
Here’s three things we learned.
Anthony Davis needs more help.
Davis' teammates were miserable in the first half. As mentioned above, they shot 24 percent from the field. But head coach Alvin Gentry understood and solved the lack of talent problem around Davis by feeding him the ball as much as possible. Davis was the focus of nearly every play on offense -- and when he wasn't the Pelicans struggled. Too often the Pelicans allow Tyreke Evans to dribble at the top of the key for nine seconds and then take a contested jumper. Davis is having a heck of year even though the Pelicans are struggling, averaging 23.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game. But after being ravaged by injuries, the Pelicans have yet to find a consistent system. Davis is being asked to do a lot -- probably too much -- but at this point, the Pelicans have no other choice.
Hassan Whiteside isn't trusted down the stretch in Miami.
This isn’t really something we learned, but watching Whiteside rebound and block shots is a thing of beauty. He had 11 rebounds in the first quarter. He has a nose for the ball, attacking for position on every possession. The Heat’s defense has been worse with the NBA’s leading shot blocker on the floor because Whiteside has struggled to pick up on some of the smaller nuances of defense. However, he looked great through the first three quarters on Christmas Day, despite picking up four fouls. Head coach Erik Spoelstra has kept Whiteside out of the lineup down the stretch because of the defensive lapses, but Whiteside got a chance against the Pelicans, playing six minutes in the fourth -- but that’s when the Pelicans made a push back into the game. Whiteside was taken out with just under five minutes to play and didn’t come back. Whiteside took his time walking off the court, and he might have been right to be upset -- the Pelicans got buckets in the paint down the stretch. Whiteside stayed on the bench for overtime as the Heat offense came alive in the final three minutes.
Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh still have it ... in bursts.
Wade and Bosh didn’t exactly turn back the clock with out-of-this world performances, but they did what they needed to do to help the Heat to an ugly win. Wade was attacking the rim in the first half and hitting the twisting, turning fadeaway jumpers that made him so difficult to guard in his early years. Bosh was hitting buckets from all over the court (although he struggled from deep, hitting 2-of-8 from beyond the arc) -- especially in the third quarter when the Heat began to pull away. Wade, on the other hand, couldn’t stay consistent. He scored 11 points in the first half but couldn’t hit anything in the second half. Even so, the Heat were able to pull off the win when its two stars took over in overtime. Wade ended with 19 points, six rebounds and four assists.
If they're going to make a run at beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East, the Heat will need Wade and Bosh to be their best for not only an entire game, but a full series.
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