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Heat roll over Lakers 102-89
Once Kobe Bryant lost his scoring touch, Shaquille O'Neal enjoyed a season sweep at his former teammate's expense. Dwyane Wade scored 27 points, O'Neal had 25 points and 12 rebounds, and Keyon Dooling scored eight of his season-high 17 points in the fourth quarter to help the Miami Heat beat the Lakers 102-89 Thursday night.
Bryant had 21 points in the first half but missed his first nine shots after halftime and finished with 26 points on 8-for-23 shooting. Chucky Atkins had 23 for the Lakers, who dropped their third straight and fell 1 1/2 games behind Denver for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Miami outscored Los Angeles 33-22 in the fourth quarter, even though the Lakers connected on six 3-pointers in the final 10:03. A 7-0 burst midway through the quarter put the Heat up 84-73 with 7:03 left, and Miami wasn't seriously threatened again.
It was the Lakers' first visit to Miami since last summer's trade sending O'Neal to the Heat for Caron Butler, Lamar Odom and Brian Grant — all key players in last season's run to the East semifinals. There was plenty of hype, although it paled to the mania surrounding the Heat's 104-102 Christmas win in Los Angeles.
And the crowd's reaction, both to Bryant and the former Heat trio, went as expected.
There was a quick, loud chorus of booing when Bryant was introduced as a starter, and more catcalls and chants followed virtually every time he touched the basketball. He and O'Neal barely acknowledged each other before tip-off but extended hands halfheartedly in the center circle.
Yet nothing but long cheers rained down from the sellout crowd when Odom and Butler were announced. And when Grant checked into the game midway through the quarter, Eddie Jones was the first player from either side to greet him, giving a quick hug.
There were plenty more embraces at the final buzzer, including one where Bryant wrapped his arms around Wade. But by then, only one team was smiling.
Bryant started quickly, scoring seven of the Lakers' points in a 9-2 game-opening run and warming up for what was a 21-point first-half effort.
Yet the Lakers missed 12 of their final 15 shots of the quarter, and Dooling's 3-pointer with 0.1 seconds left gave Miami a 25-20 lead after the opening period. That shot sparked an 11-2 run by Miami, with Dooling hitting two more jumpers in the first 2:48 of the second quarter to help Miami to a 33-22 lead.
But the Lakers still stayed close, with Atkins scoring eight points in a three-minute span late in the half to help draw his team to 47-45 at the break. And it stayed a two-point margin, with Miami up 69-67 entering the fourth — even though Bryant only managed a pair of free throws in the third quarter.
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