3 things to know: Warriors rally late for thrilling overtime comeback victory vs. Heat, 120-112
From the opening bell, the Golden State Warriors were fighting an uphill battle against the Miami Heat on Wednesday at Chase Center.
Prior to the start of the contest, the Warriors scratched Draymond Green from the starting lineup due to ankle soreness. Green joined James Wiseman and Kevon Looney on the sideline, giving Golden State no traditional centers and an extra thin rotation against the defending Eastern Conference champions.
Without Green, Steph Curry struggled out of the gate, scoring only seven points on an uncharacteristic 3-of-11 shooting from the field in the first half. Curry couldn’t find any rhythm from deep, hitting only one triple on nine attempts from beyond the arc in the opening two quarters.
Green’s absence paired with Curry’s off-shooting to start the game opened the door for Miami. Heading into the locker room, Golden State trailed by 15 points. However, the Warriors weren’t done.
After chipping away Miami’s lead down to 10 points in the fourth quarter, Kent Bazemore and Eric Paschall sparked a ferocious comeback in the final 12 minutes to push the game into overtime. With the chance to steal an improbable victory, Curry made his run.
To go along with eight points in overtime, Curry drilled a vicious dagger 3-pointer with 17 seconds remaining to seal Golden State’s comeback rally over the Heat, 120-112.
Via @SLAMonline on Twitter:
Just ridiculous. (via @warriors) pic.twitter.com/5mkubIo6Vi
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 18, 2021
Curry finished the contest with 25 points on 8-of-25 shooting from the field with 11 assists, seven rebounds and two steals in 42 minutes against Miami.
After consecutive wins at home, the Warriors will leave the Bay Area boasting a 16-13 record to start a four-game road trip.
Kent Bazemore
Kent Bazemore was at the center of Golden State’s comeback, scoring a game-high 26 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field with eight boards, three assists and three steals in 38 minutes off the bench.
With the Warriros trailing by four with 1:36 remaining in the fourth quarter, Bazemore hit a pair of clutch layups to send Golden State into overtime.
Via @NBA on Twitter:
Kent Bazemore's season-high sparks the @warriors 19-point comeback! 🔌@24Bazemore: 26 PTS, 8 REB, 3 STL, 4 3PM pic.twitter.com/Om2YoFfZin
— NBA (@NBA) February 18, 2021
Group Effort
While Steph Curry and Kent Bazemore made their impact on the comeback, Golden State’s rally was a group effort. Joining Curry and Bazemore, Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre Jr. all registered over 20 points against Miami.
Wiggins tallied 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field with eight boards in 38 minutes. Oubre Jr. also added 23 points of his own on 9-of-15 shooting from the field with eight rebounds in 44 minutes.
Wednesday’s contest marked the first time since 2016 Golden State featured four players with over 20 points, per Warriors PR on Twitter.
The Warriors have four 20-point scorers in the same game (Kent Bazemore, Stephen Curry, Kelly Oubre Jr., Andrew Wiggins) for the first time since Nov. 23, 2016 vs. the Lakers (Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Ian Clark)
— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) February 18, 2021
The Return of Andre
With Erick Spoelstra’s squad in the Bay Area, former Warrior Andre Iguodala made his second appearance at Chase Center as a member of the Heat.
In his first matchup with a healthy Steph Curry-led Warriors, the 2015 NBA Finals MVP tallied 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field with two boards and an assist in 20 minutes off the bench for the Heat.
