Mar 8, 2009, 13:08 GMT
Los Angeles - The rematch between LeBron James and Dwyane Wade had a familiar look: Plenty of fireworks from the superstars, clutch shooting from Mo Williams and a win for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Williams scored 11 of his 29 points in the final 5 1/2 minutes Saturday night as the host Cavaliers defeated the Miami Heat for the second time in six days, 99-89.
James had 14 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds for his fourth triple-double of the season and Wade had 25, 12 and eight before being ejected for the first time in his career in the final minute.
But as he did in Miami, Williams stole the show. The All-Star guard had 15 points in the last 7 1/2 minutes of Monday's win and again took over late as Cleveland improved to 28-1 at home.
'I've never been a person that wanted the spotlight,' said Williams, who is averaging 17.8 points per game. 'I'm happy where I'm at right now. I'm the guy who's behind closed doors and will sneak up on you.'
'Mo's a great player,' James said. 'It's no surprise to us what he can do out there.'
The Heat trailed by 20 points in the second period but closed to 82-76 on a drive by Wade with 5:42 to go. Williams answered with a floater, layup and three-pointer to rebuild the lead to 89-76 with 4:13 left.
A three-pointer by Miami's Daequan Cook made it 89-81 with 3:22 left, but Williams drained a runner on the next possession.
'That hurt us,' Wade admitted. 'You focus so much on LeBron and you've got another player that's hurting you like he hurt us the last two times we've played them.'
With Miami trailing, 91-85, and under a minute to play, Wade drove and collided with Brazilian Anderson Varejao. Already with one technical foul, Wade argued and was ejected. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra walked onto the court yelling, 'How is that not a foul?' and also received a technical foul.
'We felt we got some bad calls,' said Wade, who made 9-of-23 shots. 'Tempers got hot. I felt I got fouled and there was no call. So my temper got hot. I deserved the tech.'
Coming off Friday's loss at Boston, Cleveland scored the first nine points and never trailed. Williams made three three-pointers and scored 11 points in the first period as the Cavs opened a 28-14 lead.
'We've responded great all year long after a loss,' Williams said. 'Tonight was no different. The mentality of this team is great.'
Delonte West scored 19 points and Varejao added 12 for Cleveland, which shot 49 per cent (35-of-71).
Jermaine O'Neal scored 19 points and rookie Michael Beasley added 17 for Miami, which committed just three turnovers over the final three periods.
Dallas 119, Washington 103=
German juggernaut Dirk Nowitzki scored 34 points and Jason Terry added 33 for the Mavericks, who have won seven in a row at home. The Wizards have lost five in a row.
New Orleans 108, Oklahoma City 90=
Chris Paul had 21 points and 13 assists to direct the host Hornets to their seventh straight win. Rookie Russell Westbrook scored 24 for the Thunder.
Atlanta 87, Detroit 83=
Josh Smith and Dominican native Al Horford combined for 37 points and 24 rebounds to help the host Hawks sweep the season series for the first time in 15 years. The Pistons saw their four-game winning streak end.
Charlotte 114, New York 105=
Gerald Wallace had 23 points and 13 boards as the visiting Bobcats pushed their franchise-record winning streak to six games. The Knicks have dropped four of five.
Portland 95, Minnesota 93=
The Trail Blazers won their 11th straight home game as Brandon Roy scored 31 points. Minnesota has lost nine in a row.
Philadelphia 110, Memphis 105=
Andre Iguodala scored 24 points to lead six players in double figures for the visiting 76ers. Mike Conly scored a career-high 31 points and Spanish rookie Marc Gasol added a season-high 30 for the Grizzlies.
Indiana 106, LA Clippers 105=
Jarrett Jack scored 25 points for the visiting Pacers, including the go-ahead three-point play with 44 seconds left. Clippers rookie Eric Gordon scored 35 points but had a shot blocked at the buzzer.
Milwaukee 127, Golden State 120=
Richard Jefferson's season-high 35 points helped the host Bucks end a three-game skid. Jamal Crawford scored 32 in Golden State's third straight loss.
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