LEAD: Short-handed Heat pushes past Hawks in triple overtime

By Paul Levine Jan 6, 2012, 8:41 GMT

Los Angeles - With ailing Miami Heat superstars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade out of the lineup, but cheering from the bench, Chris Bosh and Mario Chalmers helped the team step up and deliver to push back the Atlanta Hawks Thursday night.

Bosh had 33 points with 14 rebounds, while Chalmers scored five of his 29 on the basketball court in the third overtime, as the Heat pulled away for a gutsy 116-109 road victory.

'Coach said I had to be aggressive,' said Chalmers, who erupted for 22 of his points after the third quarter.

Bosh's three-pointer out of a scramble with six-tenths of a second left forced the first overtime at 93-93. Atlanta's Josh Smith drained a long jumper from the right corner, with 19 seconds remaining, that sent the contest into a second extra period at 99-99.

Two free throws by Chalmers with 24 ticks left closed out the scoring in the second overtime and pushed the game into a third five-minute session at 109-109.

Chalmers and his teammates took over from there. The speedy point guard opened the period with the go-ahead three-pointer. Udonis Haslem sank two free throws with 2 minutes 26 seconds remaining to make it 114-109. Chalmers then added a layup as the Heat blanked the Hawks 7-0.

'That game, the way it went down in the end, was an exercise in absolute endurance and mental and physical toughness,' said emotionally drained Heat coach Erik Spoelstra after his club improved to 7-1 on the season. 'Both teams played their hearts out there at the end.'

Joe Johnson scored 20 points for Atlanta - which on Monday had handed Miami its only loss of the season, with Wade and James in the lineup - but couldn't take advantage of the gaps in Miami's lineup for the rematch.

'They have a very good team without those guys,' Hawks guard Willie Green said, 'and they proved it tonight.'

Elsewhere:

San Antonio Spurs 93, Dallas Mavericks 71:

Reserve Matt Bonner led five players in double figures with 17 points, including five threes, helping the Spurs spank the reigning NBA Champions.

Richard Jefferson scored 16 for the host Spurs, who have won two in a row since losing two-time All-Star guard Manu Ginobili to a broken left shooting hand Monday at Minnesota.

German wunderkind Dirk Nowitzki was held to six points for Dallas, which never recovered after trailing 55-29 at halftime. All-Star point guard Jason Kidd left the game late in the opening quarter after suffering a back injury.

Sacramento Kings 103, Milwaukee Bucks 100:

Tyreke Evans scored 26, including four free throws in the final 18 seconds, helping the Kings rally from 21 down at halftime to beat the visiting Bucks for new head coach Keith Smart's first win.

Earlier in the day, Smart replaced Paul Westphal, who was fired after the Kings slow 2-5 start.

Marcus Thornton scored 27 points, while DeMarcus Cousins finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Kings, who outscored their guests 35-18 in the final quarter.

Brandon Jennings scored 31 points to pace Milwaukee, which was without starting centre Andrew Bogut for the second straight game because of personal reasons.

Portland Trail Blazers 107, LA Lakers 96:

Gerald Wallace scored 31 points; LaMarcus Aldridge had 28 with 10 rebounds; and the Trail Blazers continued their home dominance over the Lakers, with their 11th win in the last 13 meetings at the Rose Garden

Kobe Bryant poured in 30 points, while Andrew Bynum finished with 21 points and 12 boards for the Lakers, who were outscored 55-40 in the second half.