The Philippine Online Chronicles

The Miami Heat needed three overtime periods to defeat the Atlanta Hawks 116-109 in today’s NBA action. Without LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Mario Chalmers carried the Heat to their biggest and most exciting victory so far in the season. Bosh scored 33 points while Chalmers added 29. Wade didn’t suit up because of a sore left foot while James was sideline because of a slight left ankle sprain.

In the PBA, the Powerade Tigers rolled past the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 121-113, to even their best-of-seven semifinal series at 1-1. Scoring machine Gary David led the Tigers with 32 points while Fil-Am rookie Marcio Lassiter added 30. Lassiter was huge in the third period when he scored 15 to help the Tigers pull away from the Elasto Painters.

Lastly, British tennis superstar Andy Murray outplayed Marcos Baghdatis 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the semifinals of the 2012 Brisbane Internationals in Brisbane, Australia. With the win, the fourth-ranked Murray will be facing the eighth-seeded Bernard Tomic who defeated Dennis Istomin of Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals.

NBA: Miami 116, Hawks 109

The Miami Heat proved that even without Lebron James and Dwyane Wade, they have what it takes to beat a high-quality opponent. Chris Bosh and Mario Chalmers scored 33 and 29 points respectively to lead the Heat in dismantling the Atlanta Hawks, 116-109.

In spite of the impressive win, the Heat needed three overtime periods to dispatch the Hawks. Bosh nailed a cold-blooded three-pointer to tie the game at 90-all in the regulation to force the first overtime.

Aside from Bosh and Chalmers, rookie point guard Terrel Harris also played big by scoring nine points and hauling down 14 rebounds. The Heat were in complete control of the game, but the Hawks unleashed a 16-1 run in the third quarter to take a two-point lead heading into the final period.

For the Hawks, main man Joe Johnson had 20 points, but was only 7-for-20 from the field because of Shane Battier’s sticky defense. Power forward Josh Smith on the other hand, scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the loss.

The Hawks were responsible for handing the Heat their first and only loss. The Hawks could have won this game without going into overtime, but they only converted 15 of their 46 free throw attempts.

PBA Philippine Cup Semis: Powerade 121, Rain or Shine 113

After a disappointing debut in the Philippine Cup semifinals, the Powerade Tigers bounced back with a convincing 121-113 win over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum earlier today.

Gary David, the Tigers’ main man, torched the Elasto Painters’ defense by unloading 32 points while Fil-Am hot shot and Smart Gilas mainstay Marcio Lassiter scored a career-high 30 points. Lassiter exploded for 15 points while David chipped in 13 in the third quarter when the Tigers made a critical 34-21 run.

Though the Elast Painters had a one-point lead at the end of the first half, but the Tigers turned things around in the third quarter to close the deal.

The Tigers also received solid contribution from Sean Anthony who had 11 points and 15 rebounds including six assists while point guard JV Casio chipped in 10 markers.

For the Elasto Painters, Ronjay Buenafe led the team with 25 points while rookie point guard Paul Lee added 23.

Game three of the best-of-seven semifinals is scheduled on Sunday and the winner will take a crucial 2-1 lead.

Tennis: Murray defeats Baghdatis, reaches Brisbane semis

World number four Andy Murray of Great Britain advanced to the semifinal stage of the 2012 Brisbane International after getting past Marcos Baghdatis 6-2, 6-2.

Murray needed only an hour to beat his former doubles partner in spite of the nagging injuries that he was dealing with. With the win, he will be facing teenage sensation Bernard Tomic in the semifinals.

In the second set, Murray was having a tough time breaking Baghdatis’ serve. In the fifth game however, the Brit found the break he needed to go ahead 3-2. He never looked back after taking the lead as he eventually closed out the set and take the victory.

The fourth-ranked tennis player is looking for his first major title after losing the last three. He’s now deeply preparing for the upcoming Australian Open that will start on January 17.