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Bosh and Heat take down Sixers in Game 1

Apr 17, 2011 - 1:31 AM Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Chris Bosh scored 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, as the second-seeded Miami Heat held off the Philadelphia 76ers, 97-89, in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.

LeBron James added 21 points, 14 boards and three blocks for the Heat, who went 58-24 this season en route to winning the Southeast Division.

Dwyane Wade donated 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Miami, which is playing in the postseason for the seventh time in the last eight seasons.

"He (Bosh) was good on the glass (as he's been all year) and he was active," Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We were able to run some offense through him. I think all of us in general will be better and more efficient offensively as the series goes on."

Thaddeus Young finished with 20 points and 11 boards off the bench for the seventh-seeded Sixers, who went 41-41 this season under first-year head coach Doug Collins.

Jrue Holiday chipped in with 19 points, five rebounds and five assists for Philadelphia, which is in the playoffs for the third time in the past four years. Elton Brand added 17 points and seven boards in defeat.

Game 2 of this best-of-seven series is set for Monday in South Beach.

Trailing by 13, 88-75, at the midway mark of the fourth, the Sixers made one last push with a 12-0 run.

Young made back-to-back layups around a Mario Chalmers turnover to get Philadelphia going.

The Heat missed two shots before Brand blocked Joel Anthony's shot. Holiday then made a pair of three-pointers to make it a three-point contest with 3:58 to play.

The next points didn't come until Young made a layup with 2:23 to go to get Philly within one, 88-87.

Bosh made two free throws to stop the bleeding. Brand missed a jumper at the other end, leading to a nice shot from Wade. Young fouled Wade on a 14-foot shot. The ball hit off the glass and went through the hoop for a 92-87 margin, but he missed the free throw with 1:34 remaining.

The margin was the same following a Young layup and two Wade foul shots. Iguodala missed a pair of shots around James' block of Holiday.

The Heat went 3-of-4 from the line down the stretch to seal the victory.

"It looked like they were gonna run us out, but we pushed back and we had a great chance," Collins said.

The first quarter belonged to the Sixers, who used a 14-3 run midway through the frame. Brand tallied seven points during the burst, which Jodie Meeks capped with a three-pointer for a 25-11 lead with 4:12 left.

"At the end of the day that's what we want, we want a challenge," James said. "I know those guys (76ers) like a challenge. We have to be into it with a game plan until that final horn sounds and all zeros are on the clock."

Miami responded with six straight points and trailed 31-19 heading to the second.

The Heat scored 35 points in the second stanza to take the momentum away from Philadelphia.

Miami ripped off 10 straight points early in the period to cut the gap to 33-29 on Bosh's three-point play.

Down by three, 38-35, with 6:45 remaining, the Heat used another 10-0 run to take the lead. James had five points during the stretch, including a layup with 3:46 left to give his team a 45-38 margin.

Miami shot 52.4 percent from the field in the second en route to taking a 54-49 lead into the locker room.

Holding a 68-60 lead with 5 1/2 minutes to go in the third, the Heat used a 10-2 flurry to create some distance. James Jones' jumper made it a 78-62 game with 1 1/2 minutes remaining.

The Sixers used a 7-2 spurt to cut their deficit to 80-69 heading to the fourth.

Game Notes

Miami took all three meetings with the Sixers in the regular season...The teams have never met in the postseason...The Heat went 30-11 at home this season, while Philly went 15-26 on the road...Andre Iguodala had four points, nine assists and eight rebounds for the Sixers, who went 7-of-19 from three- point range...Miami went 31-of-39 from the foul line.