Wade hits game-winner, undefeated Heat beat Bobcats

By Paul Levine Dec 29, 2011, 7:40 GMT

Los Angeles - Dwyane Wade delivered and the Miami Heat stayed undefeated.

Wade banked in a short jumper over Gerald Henderson with 2.9 seconds left, lifting the visiting Heat to a dramatic 96-95 road victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night.

'I tried to earn my check at the end of the game,' said Wade, who finished with just 10 points on 5-of-13 shooting after suffering a contusion in the first half.

'LeBron (James) had it going, Chris (Bosh) had made some big plays but coach had enough trust at that moment to give it to me. So I was glad I was able to come through for the guys.'

James scored a game-high 35 points, while Bosh finished with 25 for Miami, which outscored its hosts 51-35 in the final two quarters after trailing by 15 at halftime.

'The first half wasn't Miami Heat basketball. We gave up 58 per cent shooting and 60 points,' James said. 'In order for us to be successful we have to defend and that's what we did in the second half.'

Henderson's wide-open three-pointer from the right corner with 12 seconds remaining had put the Bobcats back on top after blowing a 15-point halftime cushion.

Wade took the ball out of a timeout and drove the left side before kissing his game-winner off the glass. The Bobcats had a final shot to win, but D.J. Augustin's three-pointer missed badly and D.J. White's put-back rolled off the rim at the buzzer.

'That's why they give him the big bucks, man' James said of Wade. 'D-Wade said he didn't play well tonight, but no one cares about what he did up until the end. For him to step up and hit that shot off the glass was big.'

Henderson scored 21 points, Augustin added 20 for the Bobcats, while Boris Diaw finished with 16 along with 16 rebounds and eight assists.

Elsewhere:

Oklahoma City Thunder 98, Memphis Grizzlies 95: Kevin Durant poured in 32 points, James Hardin added 20 off the bench and the visiting Thunder improved to 3-0 on the season.

Zach Randolph collected 24 points and 12 rebounds for Memphis, while Rudy Gay had 18 points and 12 boards, as well.

New Orleans Hornets 97, Boston Celtics 78: Jarrett Jack had 21 points with nine assists, Carl Landry contributed 20 points and 11 rebounds, and the Hornets dropped the visiting Celtics to 0-3 for the first time since the 2006-07 season.

San Antonio Spurs 115, LA Clippers 90: Argentine ace Manu Ginobili scored 24, DeJuan Blair added 20, and Spurs beat the visiting Clippers for the 19th time in the last 20 meetings overall, despite Blake Griffin's game-high 28.

Indiana Pacers 90, Toronto Raptors 85: Danny Granger scored 21, Paul George added 18 to lead four players in double figures, and the Pacers opened the season at 2-0 for the first time since the 2007-08 campaign.

DeMar DeRozan topped host Toronto with 22 points while Andrea Bargnani finished with 21.

Denver Nuggets 117, Utah Jazz 100: Nene scored 25 points, Al Harrington had 18 with seven rebounds off the bench, and the host Nuggets blew past the Jazz to move to 2-0 on the season.

Al Jefferson had 19 points for Utah, coming off a season-opening 96-71 beat-down by the LA Lakers on Tuesday night.

Cleveland Cavaliers 105, Detroit Pistons 89: Samardo Samuels scored 17 points, fellow-reserve Ramon Sessions had 16 and the Cavaliers spoiled the Pistons' home opener despite Ben Gordon's 25.

Philadelphia 76ers 103, Phoenix Suns 83: Jrue Holiday, Thaddeus Young and Andre Iguodala scored 15 points apiece to pace six players in double figures, as the visiting Sixers rolled the Suns for their first win of the season.

Atlanta Hawks 101, Washington Wizards 83: Joe Johnson scored 18 points, Marvin Williams had 17 to lead six players in double figures, and the host Hawks (2-0) kept the visiting Wizards winless after two games.

Golden State Warriors 92, New York Knicks 78: Monta Ellis scored 12 of his 22 points in a game-breaking 25-6 fourth-quarter run, Brandon Rush added 19 off the bench, and the Warriors pulled away to beat the visiting Knicks.

Amar'e Stoudemire finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, Carmelo Anthony scored 13 for the Knicks, who were outscored 55-35 in the second half.