|
|
 |
 |
|
| |
Tuesday, Dec. 14 10:30pm ET
Warriors end losing streak to Heat | |||||
|
| ||||||
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
 GAME FLOW
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Terry Cummings grabbed the offensive rebound, banked in a shot over Alonzo Mourning and ran back on defense, pumping his fists in exultation. At 38, the second-oldest player in the league, Cummings was at the center of the Golden State Warriors' latest and most surprising victory, 102-97 over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.
Cummings' putback with 45 seconds left gave the Warriors' a five-point cushion, and it was enough for the Warriors' third straight win after an 11-game losing streak that prompted renewed speculation about Golden State coach P.J. Carlesimo's job security. "It's a revival," said Cummings, who finished with 15 points. "It just took a little while. We were all really embarrassed how we played early. There are guys on this team who won't let anybody here forget it." Chris Mills scored a team-high 23 points and John Starks had 21 as the Golden State also ended a four-game losing streak to the Heat. Jason Caffey added 15 points and Mookie Blaylock 14. "I think this shows we're capable of beating anybody. It's just a matter of going out, executing and playing hard every night," Starks said. "Early on, we weren't doing anything to help our own cause." The Warriors also were hit hard by injuries, at one time last month missing five of the top seven players in their rotation. "Right now, we're focused and we're getting healthier," Cummings said. And the players haven't let themselves be distracted by the swirl around Carlesimo's future. "We just have to put that behind us and go out and play," Mills said. "Nobody knows what's going to happen." Added Cummings: "It's unfortunate it got to that point. I have a lot of respect for coach. He never stepped coaching. Miami coach Pat Riley said Carlesimo, who didn't address the speculation about his job, is being unfairly judged. "That team was decimated by injuries for two weeks," Riley said. "He's a heckuva coach. There's no one in this league who could have done a better job than him, so you buzzards better back off." Mourning had 26 points to lead Miami, which entered with the best record in the Eastern Conference but lost back-to-back games for the first time this season. Voshon Lenard added 18 points, P.J. Brown had 16 and Jamal Mashburn 15 for Miami, which wound up its season-long six-game road trip with a 3-3 mark. "We made the game tough," Mourning said. "We're a better team than that team but we didn't show it tonight." After trailing at the break, the Warriors used a big third quarter to surge in front, outscoring the Heat 32-18 in the period. Vonteego Cummings' twisting layup put the Warriors up 83-71 before Clarence Weatherspoon connected on an 18-foot jumper as time expired in the third quarter and the Heat went into the final period down by 10. After Starks made a jumper to give the Warriors a 94-85 lead, Mourning scored six straight points, pulling the Heat within three with 2:13 remaining. Brown hit a jumper to offset to two free throws by Caffey, but Mourning missed a pair from the line and Terry Cummings rebounded Mookie Blaylock's miss and banked in a shot over Mourning to put the Warriors up 98-93 with 43 seconds left. Miami managed to pull to 99-97 on a dunk by Mourning with 12.6 seconds left, but Starks and Mills combined to make three of four free throws to secure the win for the Warriors. Trailing 55-51 at halftime, Golden State fought back to tie it at 64-all on Blaylock's 3-pointer midway through the third quarter. Mourning shook loose beneath the basket for a dunk but Terry Cummings came back to hit a 10-foot turnaround jumper, starting a 14-2 run run that carried Golden State to a 78-68 lead. Mills had six points in the flurry, twice hitting hitting long baseline jumpers.
Game notes | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Miami Clubhouse Golden State Clubhouse RECAPS Utah 101 Washington 80
Golden State 102
  | |||||
