The "other member" of Miami's Big Three stepped up to the plate in Charlotte Tuesday as Chris Bosh led the Miami Heat (4-2) to a 98-92 win over the Charlotte Bobcats (1-5) at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C.
With Miami's leader Dwayne Wade out, Bosh turned in a solid all-around performance with 21 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocked shots. LeBron James helped in the Heat's effort with 10 points and 9 assists while newly acquired shooting guard Ray Allen shot for 15 points off the bench.
After the game, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra praised Bosh's play.
"It doesn't matter what position you're playing. It's playing big, playing athletic and playing long at your position, and he did that tonight," Spoelstra said to the Associated Press, as ESPN reports. "He was a presence. He was aggressive to the rim. He was really our only threat consistently in the paint and at the rim, and he'll have to continue to provide that for us."
The Heat were up by 18 late in the third quarter before the Bobcats rallied to within 92-90 on point guard Kemba Walker's layup with about 4 minutes left. But Charlotte couldn't tie the game or push ahead against the Miami reserves, including one possession when Bobcats power forward Bismack Biyombo missed a shot in the lane that would have tied the game. The miss led to a fast-break layup for Miami at the other end.
Charlotte point guards Ramon Sessions and Walker each scored 24 points for the Bobcats, while No. 2 draft pick small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist finished the night with 4 points on 2-for-8 shooting.
Around the League; NBA Preseason Wrap-up for Oct. 23
Pacers: 100, Cavaliers: 82
Behind the solid play of forwards Danny Granger and David West, the Indiana Pacers (4-2) handed the Cleveland Cavaliers (3-4) a sound 100-82 defeat at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
In his first game in the preseason since being sidelined by a sore left knee, Granger scored 9 points on 4-of-7 shooting in 13 minutes of play. West led the way for the Pacers with 15 points while small forward Paul George chipped in with 14 points.
Meanwhile, Cavaliers star point guard Kyrie Irving scored 20 points after recovering from being elbowed in the eye by fellow Cavs member C.J. Miles in practice on Monday. Small forward Alonzo Gee scored 18 points.
Bulls: 94, Thunder: 89
Power forward Carlos Boozer led the way for the Bulls with 24 points, including a late jumper in the final seconds, to give the Chicago Bulls (4-2) a 94-89 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder at the United Center in Chicago, Ill.
After trailing in the third quarter, Thunder shooting guard James Harden, last year's Sixth Man of the Year winner, sunk two free throws and then found rookie Perry Jones for a dunk to cut the Bulls' lead to 87-84 in the fourth quarter with 44.1 seconds left. But Boozer answered the call for Chicago with a fadeaway jumper to put the Bulls up 89-84 with 34.4 seconds left.
Serge Ibaka led the Thunder with 24 points on 10-for-17 field goal shooting, while small forward Luol Deng tacked on 21 points for the Bulls.
Warriors: 107, Suns: 92
Behind the forward tandem of David Lee and rookie Harrison Barnes, the Golden State Warriors (6-2) closed the book on their preseason with a 107-92 victory over the Phoenix Suns (3-3) at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif.
While trailing early in the game, Golden State rallied behind Jarrett Jack-who started in place of injured point guard Stephen Curry- and Barnes, combining for 14 points in the second quarter to help Golden State take a 55-46 lead.
Lee and Barnes finished with 16 points each while Jack tallied 13 points for the Warriors. Center Marcin Gortat had a double-double for Phoenix with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while reserve power forward Markieff Morris put up 15 points and 7 rebounds off the bench.
For boxscore details on each preseason game, visit ESPN.com.