Wade leaves as Heat notches win

Dwyane Wade leaves as Heat notches win

Dwyane Wade left the floor with just over three minutes into the game against the Pistons because of a strained hamstring, but it did not matter as the Miami Heat won the game 105-89 in a preseason exhibition game.

The other two members of Miami’s so-called ‘Big Three’, LeBron James and Chris Bosh, scored a combined 38 points to more than compensate for Wade’s loss.

“Like I told him, if we’re going to have an injury, I’d rather have it now than to have it when we really get started,” said James who also added that Wade’s hamstring has been acting up lately even before the game.

Bosh shot 8 out of 13 from the field to score 20 points, while two-time MVP James, who signed with the Heat and spurned hometown Cleveland this offseason, added 18. The Heat built a 20-point lead by halftime and were never threatened by the Pistons the rest of the way.

Udonis Haslem had a double-double for the Heat with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Ben Gordon scored 17 points to lead the Pistons.

“I like the fact that we got better tonight,” James said. “We didn’t waste an opportunity to get better. That’s what it’s about.”

“As a basketball player, as a guy who loves the game of basketball, I’m excited about that, for the season to be back around,” he said. “I’m very happy about that.”

Most spectators came to see the opening tip and the debut of the Heat’s ‘Big Three’, and the crowd was larger than usual for a preseason game. But the stadium was almost empty as the final buzzer sounded.

Posted by Andre Monohan on Wednesday October 06 2010, 9:02 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0