Not that it was easy.
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He entered the fourth period with 23 points and scored the first 11 of the quarter for Boston, which needed Thomas’ scoring outburst to hold off the Heat. It feels normal. Everything I’ve always done in my whole life I’ve worked that hard for it.
Trying his best to muffle a smile, Thomas added, “I’m kind of mad about that”.
“With the schedule being as brutal as it’s been, we got better”.
Lebron James had 23 points and 11 assists. “Every good teammate should want to see their All-Star do good”, Boston’s Terry Rozier told CSNNE.com. The Celtics are in the middle of the pack on defense, allowing 104.3 points per game.
Miami (10-24) has now played in 22 games this season in which it’s either been ahead or behind by five points or less with under five minutes to play in regulation (clutch situations), but is only 7-15 in those games.
“Kay could definitely learn from IT for sure”, James said. “He didn’t think (Bradley) was going to pick up full court. I was bad tonight'”.
The performance produced the third-highest point total by a player in a game during the 2016-17 season.
Westbrook scored 21 points before thrown out for arguing with the referees, the Thunder were trailing 61-45 at the time. Thomas had come from the opposite side of the basket, and at the point of contact was actually over his 6-foot-9 opponent. Thomas said Stevens joked that he was pulling Thomas for getting beat on a pair of back cuts. “Fortunately for us, Crowder missed the shot”.
Tristan Thompson chipped in with 11 points and nine rebounds and Richard Jefferson scored 11 points off the bench for Cleveland, which won six of the last seven games. Al Horford was among those on the floor who had a front row seat to Thomas’ historic performance. “We got lucky and had a chance at the end, because our guys played really hard and figured out a way and the bench was great”. Thomas went 15-of-26 from the field, 13-of-13 from the free throw line and hit a career-high 9 3-pointers, including six in a red-hot 29-point fourth quarter.
Cleveland built its lead to 20 later in the third before settling for a 101-83 lead heading into the fourth. “I don’t know how I was going to do that, but it says a lot about those guys”. “So, I was happy that I got two All-Stars alongside me, and I was able to carry us to a win”. “It felt like nobody was out there with me and I just was making everything”.
Jimmy Butler scored 25 points and Dwyane Wade had 20 for the Bulls, who never led and only forced two ties in the game.
After Thomas torched his Grizzlies for a career-high 44 points a week earlier, Memphis coach David Fizdale was asked before Tuesday’s game about the best way to defend him.
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Chicago spent the rest of the game playing catch-up.
