Heat at 76ers
Chris Bosh turned back the clock in the opener Wednesday and the Miami Heat look to make it two straight to start the post-LeBron James era Saturday when they visit the Philadelphia 76ers. Bosh scored 26 points and pulled down 15 rebounds in a game for the first time since joining the Heat in the 2010-11 season in the 107-95 win over the Wizards. Philadelphia, meanwhile, failed to reach the century mark for the second time this season in a 93-81 loss to Milwaukee on Friday.
During his seven years in Toronto, Bosh achieved those lofty scoring and rebounding numbers 14 times, and with James gone and Dwyane Wade older and more fragile, coach Erik Spoelstra expects Bosh to take the reigns from Wade and be more of an on-court leader. “He has to do it on both ends of the court. He has to lead," Spoelstra told the Miami Herald. "I have really enjoyed seeing the transformation. He is really holding guys accountable. He has to do so many things.”
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sun Sports (Miami), CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE HEAT (1-0): Bosh added four assists against the Wizards and connected three times from beyond the arc for the ninth time since the 2012-13 season after never achieving the feat previously. The nine-time All-Star did get some help from the venerable Wade, who tallied 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. One change Spoelstra implemented was starting third-year man Norris Cole over Mario Chalmers at the point. Cole tallied a career-high 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting in 28 minutes and added three 3-pointers.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (0-2): Nerlens Noel posted his first double-double Friday with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Fellow rookie K.J. McDaniels added 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers, for a team that shot just 37.2 percent and was outrebounded 55-42. The Sixers miss injured Michael Carter-Willams, as Tony Wroten committed eight turnovers and missed five free throws in 11 attempts.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Despite the big game from Bosh, the Heat guards scored 54 of the 107 points against Washington.
2. Miami was one of two teams Philadelphia had a winning record against last season (Celtics).
3. Noel became just the sixth player since 1985 to register three blocks in his first two NBA games.