James gets 33, but Heat lose
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LeBron James tipped the ball away at one end, ran well ahead of the pack to grab the deflection, then rose for a fierce one-handed slam.
Later, he spun down the lane and beat two defenders for another score that sent Tyrus Thomas falling over courtside photographers.
That hamstring issue?
It seemed like a non-issue.
James scored 33 points - the best by anyone so far this preseason - in only 29 minutes before sitting out the fourth quarter and watching the Charlotte Bobcats rally past the Miami Heat 102-96 on Monday night.
D.J. Augustin scored 19 points, Nazr Mohammed added 14 and Stephen Jackson scored 10 for Charlotte, which outscored Miami 31-16 over the final 12 minutes with both teams having their starters turned into spectators. Derrick Brown scored 14 of his 18 points in the fourth for Charlotte, and Thomas scored nine of his 15 in the final period for the Bobcats.
"I think the biggest thing is we found a way to grind it out with our second team," Jackson said.
The bright side for Miami? Easy. James missed a game and a practice last week after experiencing some cramping and soreness in his right leg, but he looked like his two-time MVP self again, making 10 of 17 shots from the field and 12 of 13 from the free throw line.
The Heat were without Dwyane Wade, who remained on the witness stand in a Chicago courtroom testifying in the trial that will decide custody of his two young sons. Wade has been working out as he recovers from a strained right hamstring, and said on Monday that his "goal is to be back and healthy for the beginning of the season."
There's a lot of guys in the Miami and Charlotte locker rooms hoping the same.
Charlotte was missing a slew of players, including forward Dominic McGuire (left shin stress fracture), guard Shaun Livingston (left knee soreness), center Kwame Brown (left ankle sprain) and forward Eduardo Najera (sports hernia). Miami was again without guard Mario Chalmers (left ankle soreness), who was scratched about an hour before tipoff.
Miami's injury woes got worse during the game, when Mike Miller was lost during the third quarter with a sprained left ankle, which he initially rolled in the final seconds of the first half.
