NBA Finals: Miami defeats Oklahoma City, 100-96, in Game 2
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OKLAHOMA CITY -- LeBron James finished with 32 points as the Miami Heat held off a spirited Oklahoma City rally in the fourth quarter to win Game 2, 100-96, Thursday at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The series heads to Miami for the next three games tied, 1-1.
Wade had 26 points, six rebounds and four assists for Miami, which was outscored, 29-22, in the fourth quarter.
The Thunder suffered their first home loss in the postseason, falling to 9-1.
The Thunder blamed nerves for a slow start in Game 1 but the culprit was much easier to target in Game 2. Oklahoma City missed a boatload of shots as the Heat breezed to a 55-43 halftime lead.
Neither Westbrook nor Durant found his shot in the first half and the Thunder trailed by as many as 17. Westbrook had nine points on two-for-10 shooting. Durant had six points on three-for-nine shooting. The Thunder shot 34.1% in the half.
Oklahoma City missed 11 of its first 12 shots and Westbrook missed his first six.
How bad was Oklahoma City in the beginning? Miami led, 18-2, until James Harden hit a three-pointer with 4:34 left in the first quarter.
The Heat looked fluid throughout the first 24 minutes. James had 14 points and Wade had 13 points.
Chris Bosh started for the first time since an abdominal strain sidelined him more than a month ago. He had 10 points and 10 rebounds by halftime.
Harden was the only Thunder player to find anything consistent in the first half, scoring 17 points.
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