Final
Warriors escape Miami with win on Green's late bucket
Dec 13, 2012 - 3:55 AM Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Draymond Green finished a go-ahead layup with less than a second remaining to lift the Golden State Warriors to a 97-95 triumph over the Miami Heat on Wednesday at AmericanAirlines Arena.With the game knotted, 95-95, and under 30 seconds remaining, Heat guard Shane Battier missed a 3-pointer from the left corner and the rebound bounced out of bounds, giving Golden State possession with 11.4 seconds left.
Jarrett Jack then dribbled around at the top of the key before firing a pass down low for Green, who finished the layup with 0.9 ticks on the clock to give Golden State a two-point edge.
The Heat had one final shot after a timeout, but LeBron James' turnaround jumper from the baseline clanked off the rim and the Warriors escaped with their fifth straight road victory.
"There's something about this team that refuses to quit," Golden State coach Mark Jackson said of his club. "We're going to battle. We're going to compete."
David Lee recorded a double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds, while Klay Thompson tallied a team-high 27 points and Jack finished with a season-high 20 points for the Warriors, who have won eight of nine overall.
James poured in a game-high 31 points and Chris Bosh followed with 21 points and 13 boards in the setback, Miami's third in its last five games.
"We've been making too many mistakes," Bosh admitted. "We just have to clean it up. Everyone in this room is a professional."
The Heat held a two-point edge with 6 1/2 minutes left in the fourth after James netted five straight points, including a tough fadeaway jumper from the top of the key to make it 89-87.
After the teams exchanged buckets, Jack knocked down a jumper to knot the game yet again, but Miami scored the next four points to grab a 95-91 lead with 3:18 left on the clock.
The Heat, though, wouldn't score again, as the Warriors closed the contest on a 6-0 run, culminating in Green's go-ahead layup with less than a second remaining.
Neither team led by more than five in a tightly-contest first quarter that found Golden State clinging to a 29-28 lead after 12 minutes.
Thompson caught fire in the second, connecting on 4-of-6 shots from beyond the arc en route to 14 points in the frame, but the Warriors were unable to make any headway, as the teams played evenly in the stanza and entered the locker room with the visitors holding a 53-52 advantage.
Golden State shot 47.4 percent (9-of-19) from the field in the third and led by as many as five in the frame, but James netted Miami's final seven points of the quarter to bring the Heat within 77-74 heading into the fourth.
Game Notes
The Warriors head to Orlando on Friday before wrapping up their seven-game road trip in Atlanta on Saturday ... Golden State improved to 9-1 against the Eastern Conference this season ... It was the Warriors' first win in Miami since Mar. 7, 2008 ... The Heat fell to 10-2 at home this season ... Heat guards Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen each netted 14 points.
- GOLDEN STATE: 97
MIAMI: 95
Final
Dec 12 9:54 PM - GOLDEN STATE: 97
MIAMI: 95
End of Regulation
Dec 12 9:53 PM - GOLDEN STATE: 77
MIAMI: 74
End of 3rd
Dec 12 9:19 PM - GOLDEN STATE: 53
MIAMI: 52
Halftime
Dec 12 8:35 PM - GOLDEN STATE: 29
MIAMI: 28
End of 1st
Dec 12 8:04 PM - GOLDEN STATE: 2
MIAMI: 0
1st Quarter - 11:37
Dec 12 7:42 PM
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