In their second game of a five-game road trip, the Golden State Warriors looked to continue their strong play on the road, as they took their 5-1 road record into Miami to face the Heat. Andrew Bogut's availability for the game was in question due to an orbital contusion he suffered from a Kendrick Perkins elbow last game, but he ended up suiting up. Leandro Barbosa was also active for the game after suffering a hyper extended knee last game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but he was limited to only four minutes tonight. The Miami Heat were without Dwyane Wade (hamstring) for a sixth straight game. Norris Cole returned to the Heat's starting lineup after missing the previous two games with a dislocated finger.
The first quarter was a shootout. The game started to feel like whoever missed first would lose the game as it was the definition of a run-and-gun type of game. At the end of the first quarter, the Heat had a 36-30 lead in parts due to Mario Chalmers' offensive contribution of 13 points in the quarter. He was limited to only one more point for the rest of a game and finished the game with 14 points (4-17 FG), four assists, and four steals.
Miami burst out to a 54-38 lead at the 5:56 mark in the second quarter. That double digit cushion was quickly erased as Golden State went on a 23-8 run to finish the second quarter and trim the deficit to one, 61-62, at halftime.
The game remained close and extremely competitive until the 5:11 mark in the fourth quarter when the game was tied at 95. The game was all Warriors since that point on, as they closed the game with a 19-2 run to ultimately win with a final score of 114-97.
Miami was shut down in the second half, scoring only 35 points in the half after scoring more (36) in the first quarter alone.
Improving to 11-2 overall and 6-1 on the road, the Golden State Warriors keep making a push for the moniker of "best team in the NBA."
With a loss, Miami fell to an 8-7 record, which is still fairly impressive considering they lost their best player, LeBron James, in the offseason and have been without Dwyane Wade for six of their first 15 games.
Stephen Curry was stuck on automatic, scoring a season-high 40 points on 12-of-19 from the field, 8-of-11 from three, six rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. Fellow backcourt mate, Klay Thompson, poured in 24 points of his own on 10-of-19 shooting, including 3-of-7 from threes. Harrison Barnes chipped in 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds. Andrew Bogut was his usual effective self despite him playing with an injury to his eye, scoring eight points on 4-of-5 shooting, grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishing out five assists.
Chris Bosh continued his impressive season, leading the Heat in scoring tonight with 26 points on 10-of-19 shooting, while adding nine rebounds. Luol Deng added 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
Golden State continues its road trip tomorrow night, November 26, as they take on the Orlando Magic. Miami gets a few days off, as they next play on Sunday, November 30, against the New York Knicks.