KANSAS CITY - This one was mainly about Mario and Mike. So it goes without saying that there was no lack of motivation entering Thursday night's preseason game against the New Orleans Hornets.
This was a homecoming of sorts for Heat forward Michael Beasley and point guard Mario Chalmers, who played their college ball at Kansas State and Kansas, respectively. Returning to the same court where they led their college teams in Big 12 Conference Tournaments, Beasley and Chalmers helped the Heat end its preseason skid.
Thursday's 97-81 victory against the Hornets won't count in the standings, but the team certainly didn't render it meaningless. After losing its first four preseason games, the Heat wants to finish the seven-game exhibition slate with some momentum going into the Oct. 28 opener against New York.
Chalmers continued to turn around his slow start to the preseason with his third straight solid performance at the point, guiding the Heat's offense and spearheading its defense. Beasley nearly had a double-double in the first half, but was slowed by foul trouble before finding his rhythm again late to close with 11 points and 11 boards. Cook continued his hot shooting of late from three-point range.
"What he saw from me tonight, coach said he's going to need that all season," Chalmers said. "I was hyped. It felt like we were running in the Fieldhouse at Kansas again. I liked that feeling."
About the only bad thing to come out of Thursday's game was another ailment for Dwyane Wade, who started after missing two games but left with five minutes left in the third quarter with a calf bruise.
D. WADE'S DOINGS: Wade was back on the court after sitting out two games with a strained muscle in his left rib cage. He made several explosive plays, including three dunks. He finished with 14 points, six assists and three rebounds in 23 minutes. But Wade was knocked to the floor twice in the third quarter and left the game with five minutes left in the period with the calf bruise. He was treated by trainers and team physician Harlan Selesnick while sitting on the bench and did not return. With the Heat out of action until Wednesday's home game against Memphis, Wade could use the rest. "I think I kicked myself," Wade said. "It's just a bruise, hopefully. We'll have to see after therapy. I'm used to it. You do what you have to do to get back and ready."
TURNING POINT: Perhaps it was the pregame introductions. The announced attendance of 17,116 at the Sprint Center was clearly behind the Heat. And when Wade, Beasley and Chalmers were introduced, the place went crazy. That momentum carried the Heat out to a 26-19 lead in the first quarter. Miami never looked back. By the early stages of the second half, the Heat was ahead by 24 points. They made the game look relatively easy this time after finding plenty of ways to falter in earlier games.
WINNING EDGE: The numbers in two key areas tell the story. The Heat had 23 assists and 10 turnovers. It helps when the starting backcourt of Wade and Chalmers combine for 11 assists and just 2 turnovers. Nine different Heat players had assists, with four dishing at least three. "When we share the basketball, good things tend to happen," Spoelstra said. "That's been the other way around in some other games."
HEAD-SCRATCHER: Beasley, Chalmers and Hornets forward Julian Wright held a joint pregame press conference because of the media demand surrounding their return to the region where they were college stars. Beasley played at Kansas State, of course. Wright and Chalmers were at Kansas. During the conference, Beasley was asked what surprised him the most about his adjustment to the NBA. In typical Beasley fashion, he turned the question into a setup for a punchline. His answer: "First thing I noticed is how big my family got." And Beasley wasn't talking about his infant daughter. He was referring to the cousins, uncles and other long, lost relatives who resurfaced.
KEY CONTRIBUTION: Let's split this between Carlos Arroyo and Joel Anthony. Arroyo, playing his second game since joining the Heat on Monday, had six points and three assists in 18 minutes as the backup point guard. You can see that his timing is coming around. He was off in Wednesday's game, but turned that performance around Thursday. Anthony was 4 of 4 from the field. Yes, that Joel Anthony. He had 8 points and 3 blocks. The Heat got 6 blocks from the center position, with Jermaine O'Neal adding 3.
NEXT UP: Grizzlies at Heat, 7:30 Wednesday (AmericanAirlines Arena)
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