Miami
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
Shaquille O'Neal exited the game after straining his left knee in the first two minutes of last night's game against the Bulls, which ended up as a 105-101Miami loss in overtime. Eddie Jones sent the game to overtime with an amazing last-second putback of a Damon Jones missed jump shot but it was not enough as Chicago's Ben Gordon got fiery hot off the bench, scoring 29 points in his 25 minutes, including 6-of-9 from downtown. Shaq was limping after the game but told teammate Damon Jones he'll be okay.
Shaq's right foot landed on Chicago's Othella Harrington, who had himself been lying on the floor after a collision with the driving Dwyane Wade who had lobbed up the pass for Shaq. Shaq compensated by putting all his weight on his left foot as it twisted coming down.
X-rays were negative but they wouldn't be able to notice ligament damage anyway. He will take an MRI today.
Alonzo Mourning is expected to sign with the team on Friday. Reports out of Charlotte suggest Steve Smith may be coming to town as well.
NEXT GAME
The Heat (40-15, first in the Southeast) visit the Indiana Pacers (26-26, fourth in the Central) TONIGHT. The game starts at 7:00pm Eastern and will be broadcast on Sun Sports and NBA League Pass.
TEAM NOTES
Wang ZhiZhi stepped up as the team needed him with Shaq out and Michael Doleac in foul trouble. In 19 minutes off the bench, Wang scored 11 points, grabbed 2 rebounds, and got 2 steals.
Dwyane Wade led all players with 11 assists.
INJURY UPDATE
Christian Laettner(foot),Qyntel Woods(knee), andDorell Wright(knee) are all on the injured list.
Mike McGraw ofThe Chicago Daily Heraldwrites: Miami center Shaquille O'Neal was injured on a freak play during the Heat's fourth possession on Tuesday.It started with Heat guard Dwyane Wade using a quick move to get past Chris Duhon. As Wade drove into the lane, he drew three Bulls defenders and Othella Harrington fell backward as Wade tossed a lob pass for O'Neal. O'Neal jumped to catch the high pass, then landed awkwardly with his left foot hitting the floor and the right foot striking the prone Harrington. O'Neal dropped the ball and immediately grabbed his left knee as the Bulls headed the other way on a fastbreak. After a few minutes on the floor, the 7-foot-1, 330-pound center was helped to the locker room to an ovation from the 22,682 fans at the United Center.
Israel Gutierrez ofThe Miami Heraldwrites: Shaquille O'Neal crashed to the floor in the opening minutes Tuesday, grabbed his left knee and shot an alarmed look at the Heat bench, suddenly making the game against the Bulls a secondary concern.The injury was diagnosed as a strained left knee, but further evaluations will reveal the true extent of the injury, and the Heat could be forced to play a lot more games like the 105-101 overtime loss to Chicago. O'Neal left the Heat locker room after the game without commenting about his injury but walked with a pronounced limp. Before he left, though, he passed along a message to his teammate Damon Jones. 'He said, `I'll be OK,' period,'' Jones said.