Miami 94 Philadelphia 73
MIAMI — Dwyane Wade’s migraine “nightmare” ended in time for Game 2 of the playoffs.
Wade had 14 points and six rebounds for the Miami Heat as they took a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers with a 94-73 victory on Monday night — one day after he missed practice with a migraine headache.
Wade considered wearing tinted glasses to protect his eyes from bright light, a known migraine trigger, but decided to play the game without any accessories. None were needed, and he logged 34 minutes with no obvious problems.
“I was just excited to wake up this morning without a massive headache,” Wade said.
He worked out twice Monday, in between getting some protein into his system for energy after not eating Sunday. By game time, he was good to go.
“Just having him on the court, just having him be a presence ... attracts double-teams,” Heat forward LeBron James said.
“You have to account for him when he’s out there. He definitely helped us.” Wade played through a headache in Game 1 and scored 17 points, the last five coming in the final 94 seconds to help Miami seal the win. He told the team before Saturday’s game that he was not feeling great, though he played 35 minutes in Game 1 without any major issues.
On Sunday, he awoke with a migraine. Wade made his first public comments about his latest bout with migraines Monday afternoon on Twitter, thanking people “for the support as I go (through) these migraine nightmares.”
“He’s had these before and he’s not the only one on our team. We’ve learned a lot more about migraines with him and James Jones having to deal with it,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
The 76ers expected Wade to play, and coach Doug Collins even had some comedy ready for the news that the 2006 NBA finals MVP was back at practice.
“I have a set of cymbals that every time he runs by the bench, I’m slashing them,” Collins said before the game.
“And I went out and bought the brightest flashlight I could find, and every time I get eye contact I’m shooting it at him. ... I think his mental capacity to fight through these things is off the charts.”
Migraines have bothered Wade since his childhood, and have flared up at least twice this season.
Chicago 96 Indiana 90
CHICAGO — Derrick Rose scored 36 points, Carlos Boozer added 17 points and 16 rebounds, and the top-seeded Chicago Bulls pulled out another dramatic victory over Indiana, beating the Pacers 96-90 on Monday night in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Rose scored eight points over the final four minutes. Kyle Korver nailed another big three-pointer to make it 90-85 with just over a minute left after hitting the tiebreaker in the opener.
A.J. Price hit three free throws with 23.4 seconds left after being fouled by Rose to cut the lead to 90-88. Luol Deng quickly answered with two of his own to make it a four-point game. Ronnie Brewer added two more after a missed three by Mike Dunleavy, and Chicago, which made its last 16 free throws, hung on to go up 2-0.
It hasn’t been easy for the Bulls after they stormed through the regular season with a league-best 62-20 record.
Rose continued to play like an MVP candidate, following up a career playoff-best 39-point performance with another big outing. He didn’t get to the line quite as much this time but made the most of his opportunities, hitting 12-of-13 free throws after making 19 of 21 in the opener.
Danny Granger led Indiana with 19 points.
Boozer came up big after a quiet Game 1. The Bulls dominated the boards, outrebounding Indiana 57-33, and came away with the win even though they shot just 38.6 per cent and committed 22 turnovers.
Danny Granger led Indiana with 19 points, but Tyler Hansbrough struggled, finishing with just six points on 2-of-12 shooting after scoring 22 points in the opener.
Indiana’s T.J. Ford provided the shot of the game at the end of the third quarter when he banked in an 65-foot heave at the buzzer that tied it at 67, sending loud oohs and aahs through the arena.
NOTES: Bulls G Ronnie Brewer said he doesn’t expect his sprained left thumb to heal until after the season and will likely play with pain the rest of the way. “It’s not like it’s just going to heal after a day or two,” he said. “We practice every day. It’s not like I’m sitting out or taking plays off.” ... Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau on Granger comparing Rose to a “crazy stalker ex-girlfriend” who doesn’t go away: “I certainly don’t see it that way. I guess beauty’s in the eye of the beholder. He looks pretty good to me.” ... Former Bull Cliff Levingston presented the game ball before the opening tip. ... Fans cheered Bears coach Lovie Smith when he was shown during a timeout late in the first quarter. ... The Pacers have not won a playoff game since Game 3 of their first-round series with New Jersey in 2006. They dropped the next three games to bow out in six and did not get back to the post-season until this year.