Heat at Bobcats
THE STORY: The Heat continue to look like the team to beat just two games into the schedule. After getting revenge on the Dallas Mavericks, Miami cemented its place as the top team in the Eastern Conference with a win over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. The Heat were on fire offensively, hanging 115 points on one of the premier defensive teams in the league. Miami finished shooting 56 percent from the field, but was clicking at a 75 percent rate into the third quarter. Their next challenge comes Wednesday against the Charlotte Bobcats, who battled from 14 points down to take a 96-95 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in the season opener Monday. The guard-orientated Bobcats did not have a true center in the starting lineup, turning to 6-foot-8 Boris Diaw. Charlotte still managed to win the rebounding battle, getting 11 boards from Diaw and five or more rebounds from five other players.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sun Sports, Fox Sports Carolinas
ABOUT THE HEAT (2-0): While LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh hog the spotlight, rookie point guard Norris Cole is quickly playing himself into a starring role. The Cleveland State product scored 20 points off the bench against Boston, including 14 in the fourth quarter. He scored seven against Dallas in his NBA debut on Christmas Day.
ABOUT THE BOBCATS (1-0): Charlotte boasts one of the youngest and most energetic backcourts in the NBA, led by point guard D.J. Augustin, who scored 19 points versus Milwaukee. Augustin is expected to play against Miami on Wednesday after spraining his left ankle late into Monday’s win. Augustin flourished when head coach Paul Silas took over last season, averaging 14.4 points - more than two better than he managed under Larry Brown.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The Heat swept the four-game season series with the Bobcats in 2010-11, but are just 7-7 versus Charlotte all-time.
2. Miami went 15-4 in the second game of back-to-back outings last season.
3. The Bobcats’ victory over the Bucks was the first time since the 2007-08 season the team has started the schedule with a win, and just their second opening-night win in franchise history.