Beasley comes up big as Heat shock Warriors in OT

Basketball Betting Lines

12/02/2008 - Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Beasley made a veteran play in his rookie season, stepping front of an inbounds pass, getting fouled and draining the winning free throw with 3.6 seconds left in overtime, as Miami downed Golden State, 130-129, sending the Warriors to their seventh straight defeat.

It happened in stunning fashion, as Golden State appeared ready to win in both regulation and overtime. Udonis Haslem, who scored 21 points with 13 rebounds, put back a Beasley miss just before the buzzer to force overtime. Miami grabbed 21 offensive rebounds overall, and outrebounded the Warriors, 51-36.

Chris Quinn then hit a game-tying three out of the right corner before Beasley's steal and free throw. Jamal Crawford, who scored 40 points in his first home game as a member of the Warriors, saw his running floater roll off the rim at the horn.

Dwyane Wade scored a team-best 37 points to go along with 13 assists, Shawn Marion added 21 points and 15 rebounds and Beasley donated 19 points. The Heat are 2-2 on their road trip, which ends Wednesday in Utah.

Corey Maggette made 17-of-18 free throws to support his 29-point night, and Brandan Wright added 15 points. Andris Biedrins totaled 17 points and 15 rebounds in defeat.

Miami opened up a 30-27 lead after one stanza, but fell behind by the time 24 game minutes were in the books. A pair of Stephen Jackson free throws put the Warriors in front, 36-35, and the edge reached five points, 44-39, on a Crawford rare four-point play with 6:24 on the clock.

Crawford converted a more conventional three-point play for a 47-41 advantage with 5:59 to go and Wright's slam along with Crawford's floating runner capped a quick 7-0 stretch for a 51-41 edge with 5:08 remaining.

Quinn's jumper cut the deficit to 58-54, and the deficit remained at four points, 64-60, at the half.

The game seemed to reach a crescendo late in the fourth quarter. Wade's running jumper brought the Heat within 114-113 then Maggette made 1-of-2 free throws for a two-point edge with 1:12 on the clock.

Wade drove into the lane on the next possession, but Daequan Cook missed a good look at a trey after Wade kicked it out to the deep right elbow. After the Warriors failed to score, Beasley was blocked on a drive, but the made scramble came out to the Heat, who called timeout with 14.8 ticks to go .

Wade missed a three-point heave at the end of the shot clock, but Miami again got another chance when the ball bounced out of bounds off the Heat with 7.8 seconds left. Beasley missed a game-tying baseline jumper, but Haslem collected the rebound and laid the ball up and in just before the red light to send the game into overtime.

Haslem and Maggette exchanged buckets to start overtime, and Beasley's power move and conversion put the Heat up 119-117. C.J. Watson's deep two-pointer jumper again squared the contest, but Beasley powered inside again for a basket and the lead. Crawford floated a short jumper over Beasley to again tie the game, then Watson made a steal and tossed a pass to a streaking Maggette, who was fouled but made both for the lead with 1:57 to play.

Wade came off a high pick and buried a game-tying jumper, but Crawford answered moments later with a contested jumper from the left wing. Miami didn't convert on the other end, but Maggette failed to score. Quinn missed a go-ahead three and Beasley was stripped after corralling the offensive board.

Wade again toiled amongst the big men in the lane, but three defenders altered his shot, forcing an erratic attempt. Biedrins grabbed the rebound and got the ball to Maggette, who drained both for a 127-123 edge with 18.4 seconds left.

Miami's star took the ball to the rim, and Wade got the shooter's touch and buried the free throw after a foul with 15.1 seconds left. Crawford was immediately fouled and made both for a 129-126 edge with 13.5 seconds to play.

Wade missed a three, but Crawford rolled out of bounds with the ball. Quinn hit a three with 7.1 ticks to go, and Beasley stole the inbounds pass.

The rest is history, resulting in another Warriors' loss.

Game Notes

Golden State's defense has been a major concern, as it had given up 109.1 points per game (an NBA worst) entering Monday's game...Miami has won 13 of the last 18 matchups in the series...The Heat made 28-of-31 free throws, but Golden State was even better at 47-of-52...Wade had three blocks...Crawford also dished out seven assists.

Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds

Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it. Work left to do: Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney. Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson. Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable. Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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