Oct 16, 2009 11:13 am US/Eastern
Heat Knock Off Hornets In Pre-Season Action
KANSAS CITY (CBS4) ―
The Miami Heat enjoyed a rare pre-season victory on Thursday night thanks in large part to a player who has been surrounded by questions all during the off-season, Michael Beasley. The former K-State star dropped in eleven points and eleven rebounds as the Heat knocked off the New Orleans Hornets 97-81.
Daequan Cook chipped in 15 points and the Heat turned on the gas after using 17-4 runs in the first and second quarters to go up 40-23. Dwyane Wade turned up on the court as well, adding 14 points and six assists after missing the last two games with strained rib muscles. Overall, the Heat dished out 23 assists while only turning the ball over 10 times.
Two days after losing 121-86 to Orlando, New Orleans shot 36 percent and had more trouble guarding the perimeter, allowing Miami to shoot 9 for 21 on 3-pointers. Bobby Brown had 18 points and Wright added 12 points and nine rebounds for the Hornets, who were 4 for 23 from beyond the arc.
Beasley, the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2008, is trying to make the conversion from power to small forward and put behind him a month-long stint at a drug rehabilitation center in the off-season.
The 20-year-old came into the preseason in better shape than a year ago and seems to have a better grasp on the NBA game. He shot 5 of 11 and had three assists -- along with a few defensive mistakes in the post -- after scoring 24 points in 38 minutes against Oklahoma City.
Chalmers started every game at point guard last season after playing as a shooting guard at Kansas. The Heat want him to take on a more assertive role in the offense and get better with his one-on-one defense, bringing in veteran point guard Carlos Arroyo to push him.
Chalmers finished with 10 points, five rebounds and five assists, including a backdoor bounce pass to Wade for a reverse dunk in the second quarter.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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