Wade Propels Heat Past Nets

Dwyane Wade continued to prove that he is back to the player he was during the 2006 NBA Finals, and arguably even better, with a 43-point performance to beat the New Jersey Nets in a 106-103 nail-biter. 

This was Miami's first win on the second night of a back-to-back in six attempts, and the entire team looked upbeat to play against the highest-scoring backcourt in the league of Vince Carter and Devin Harris and the rest of the Nets. But it was Wade who was the answer, scoring 12 of Miami's last 14 points in a tight fourth quarter. 

Miami's (14-12) big quarter was the second, as Wade scored 14 points to help Miami outscore the Nets 35-27 in the second period. Daequan Cook carried his hot game against the Lakers into tonight's game against New Jersey, scoring 12 points in the second. Miami led 62-56 at intermission, with both teams shooting above 58 percent from the field. But after a surge by the Nets in the third quarter, it would have to be a half-court game for the final stanza of play. 

New Jersey took its first lead of the game since midway through the second quarter on a fade-away shot by Carter with eight minutes and 15 seconds to go. When Coach Erik Spoelstra put Wade into the game, he found Marion and Cook for a dunk and three, respectively, to put Miami back up. The Nets would take the lead with 2:16 left to go on a couple of free throws by Carter to make it a 97-96 game. But Wade made a reverse layup on the ensuing possession, and Mario Chalmers found an open Udonis Haslem for a wide open jumper with 14 seconds to go to ice the game for Miami. 

Wade ended up tying his season high of 43 points, and did it on 13-for-22 shooting from the field and 16-for-18 from the free-throw line. Moreover, Wade also had four rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks. Wade went to the basket often, and that let his jump shot come easier to him after he had made a few shots. 

Cook, Miami's second-leading scorer for the second consecutive night, finished with a season-high 17 points on four-of-five shooting from beyond the arc. Cook also spent a lot of time on Carter, who finished with a relatively quiet 21 points on 5-of-14 shooting, and did an admirable job. Teams are going to start to honoring Cook's jump shot; and when James Jones comes back, Miami will be deadly three-point threat off the bench. 

The player who spent the most time on Carter, however, was Shawn Marion. The four-time NBA All-Star had another nice game with 10 points on five-of-nine shooting. Again, I like that Mario Chalmers and Wade found easy plays for him. Marion will make timely cuts to the basket if he is given a path. And the rest Wade gets for not having to guard the Kobe Bryants or Carters of the League gives the leading scorer plenty of energy for the offensive end. It is good to have a defensive presence at the three. 

One of Marion's partners in the frontline, rookie Michael Beasley, had an efficient night. The 6-foot-9 forward out of Kansas State had 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting with five rebounds and a blocked shot. Beasley was very active around the rim, at one point tipping in a missed free-throw by Marcus Banks. But Miami's first-round pick only played 15 minutes tonight. He can continue to develop if Spoelstra is willing to invest in him. 

It is not a usual sight to see Banks on the court. The most experienced point guard for Miami had only played in eight games leading up to tonight. But perhaps Jordan Farmar's smothering of Chris Quinn against L.A. made Spoelstra use the more defensive-oriented Banks. The 6-foot-2 guard out of UNLV did not disappoint. He played good on-the-ball defense and was able to pressure the likes of Devin Harris (who shot an uncharacteristic 5-for-15 from the field). and Keyon Dooling full-court. More importantly, however, Banks looked like a floor general. When Banks first came into the game, he found Beasley for a jump shot late in the first quarter. At the start of the second quarter, Banks drove to the rim for a nice layup before finding Beasley and Cook for field goals.

The advantage to having Quinn, who did not play tonight, off the bench is that he is a pass-first point guard who is a great shooter. Banks, by comparison, can give Miami defense and some nice drives to the basket. The seldom-used Banks had four assists in 10 minutes and did not turn the ball over tonight. He can crack the rotation if he can be a distributor for Miami.

Joel Anthony was again active for Miami. The 6-foot-9 Canadian center hit three consecutive field goals for the Heat in the first quarter and finished with eight points on four-of-five shooting, seven rebounds and two blocks.

Coming off of two nice wins, Miami will rest until Tuesday, when the Heat will host the Golden State Warriors in the highly-anticipated re-match after the first meeting between the two resulted in a 130-129 overtime Heat win.