Chris Bosh had been insistent he wanted the ball more inside shots.
He Miami teammates listened to him Thursday night.
Bosh erupted for 24 points — his biggest scoring effort since Feb. 16 and one of his top nine games this season — to lead the Heat’s 94-88 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
It couldn’t have come at a better time for the slumping Heat, which had dropped five straight games coming into Thursday’s game.
“We had everything riding on this game, really, to be honest with you,” Bosh told the Associated Press.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Bosh’s big game was the most by an opposing forward or center this season in a non-overtime game in which both Lakers’ big men, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol both played more than 30 minutes.
The game snapped the Lakers’ eight-game winning streak as the Heat scored the final six points of the game after Kobe Bryant’s 3-pointer tied the game with 2:26 left.
Bryant was clearly frustrated at the end of the game. And with the Lakers remaining in Miami Thursday night, he spent more than an hour after the game working on his shooting touch as his team prepares for a big game at Dallas Saturday night.
Here’s a look at those who had big games and others who struggled Thursday night across the association.
STUDS
Miami F Chris Bosh: Notched 24 points and nine rebounds in the Heat’s 94-88 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, snapping their five-game losing streak.
Dallas F Dirk Nowitzki: Scored 23 points, grabbed nine rebounds and was a team-best plus-20 in the Mavericks’ 127-109 triumph over New York.
Denver C Nene: Tallied 22 points, seven rebounds and was plus-22 in the Nuggets’ resounding 116-97 victory at Phoenix.
Dallas F Shawn Marion: Made the most of a rare start, producing totals of 22 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and a plus-11 in the Mavericks’ triumph over the Knicks.
Dallas G Jason Terry: Hit 9-for-15 from the field and was plus-9 in a 21-point effort against the Knicks.
Denver G Ty Lawson: Notched 20 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and was plus-22 in the Nuggets’ victory over Phoenix.
Miami G Dwyane Wade: Produced 20 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals in the Heat’s victory over the Lakers.
Miami F LeBron James: Tallied 19 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and was plus-8 in the Heat’s streak-busting win over the Lakers.
New York F Amar’e Stoudemire: Scored a game-high 36 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the Knicks’ loss to Dallas.
Los Angeles Lakers G Kobe Bryant: Scored a team-high 24 points in the Lakers’ loss to the Heat.
Phoenix C Marcin Gortat: Produced 14 points, a career-high 18 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks in the Suns’ home loss to Denver.
DUDS
Phoenix G Vince Carter: Clanked through a 2-for-11 shooting effort, including missing all five 3-pointers, in the Suns’ loss to Denver.
The Phoenix Suns: Clanked through a 41.1 shooting night with 19 turnovers in a critical loss to their playoff hopes, dropping 1½ games behind Memphis for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Los Angeles Lakers F Lamar Odom: Went 4-for-11 from the field and was minus-14 in the Lakers’ loss at Miami — snapping an eight-game winning streak.
New York F Carmelo Anthony: Struggled through a 5-for-15 shooting night and was minus-11 in the Knicks’ loss at Dallas.