After jumping out to a 13 point lead at the start of the third quarter, an undermanned Miami Heat team fought off the Atlanta Hawks through three overtimes to improve to 4-0 on the road this season. The Heat were without their superstars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, who were both injured and in street clothes on the bench. Led by Chris Bosh, Miami made it plenty interesting throughout but Atlanta fought back and took the lead in the final minute of the game. Mario Chalmers missed a go-ahead three pointer with less than 15 seconds to play. But after Joe Johnson split a pair of free throws, Miami still had an opportunity to send it into overtime with a three pointer.
Running down almost all of the full ten seconds remaining, the Heat ran a pick-and-roll on the perimeter that looked like it would not result in a shot attempt. But a Marvin Williams mishap left Chris Bosh wide open from about 28 feet. Williams went with Mario Chalmers, who hit Bosh who drained the game-tying three. Atlanta failed get off a shot with .6 seconds remaining and the game went to overtime.
But that was just the beginning, as two ugly overtime periods would leave this interminable contest still undecided. The Hawks offensive performance went from ugly to abhorrent in the final and third overtime, however, as the Heat pulled away for a 116-109 win. The Hawks, plagued by turnovers and horrendous shots, were scoreless in the final OT.
With James and Wade out, Bosh was absolutely huge for the Heat. Including the game-tying three pointer, he finished with 33 points and 14 rebounds. He was accompanied by Mario Chalmers, who took more shots in this one than he likely will the rest of the season. He finished with 29 points and controlled the pace on the offensive end in the overtimes (with mixed results).
The road win was gravy for the Heat, who were hoping to avenge the loss earlier this week without their two superstars. They stay on the road and will face a lowly New Jersey Nets team on Saturday night.
For more news, analysis, and discussion on Miami, visit SB Nation's Heat blog, Peninsula Is Mightier. For the perspective from the other side, visit SB Nation Atlanta and SB Nation's Hawks blog, Peachtree Hoops. For news and notes from around the league, be sure to follow SB Nation's NBA hub.