MINNEAPOLIS (AP)—Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade was in the starting lineup
against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night after being considered a
game-time decision with a sore left foot.

Wade tested his foot both at the team’s morning shootaround and before the
game to determine if he was ready to play. The injury bothered him in the game
at Charlotte on Wednesday, but not enough to prevent him from making the
game-winning shot to keep the Heat undefeated.

For the Timberwolves, veteran guard J.J. Barea missed the game with a
strained right hamstring. Barea hopes to return Sunday against the Dallas
Mavericks, his former team.

Second-round draft pick Malcolm Lee had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in
his left knee on Friday. He is expected to miss six weeks.

The air of invincibility that had permeated the Miami Heat’s first two games was absent at the start. In its place was a quick 11-0 deficit.

Dwyane Wade then was absent at the start of the second half with a foot injury.

Gone, but not forgotten.

Regaining his legs, or at least enough of them, Wade banked in a short shot with 2.9 seconds to play to close out the scoring in a 96-95 victory on Wednesday night over the Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina.

It was a somewhat surprising finish, one achieved after a Gerald Henderson three-pointer with 12.2 seconds to play had put the Bobcats up by one, because it was Wade who was designated as the go-to guy on a night LeBron James led the Heat with 35 points.

Wade, who had bruised his left foot and missed the first 10 minutes of the third period, was four of 12 from the field before his game-winner.

“When he called it,” Wade said of coach Erik Spoelstra’s instructions, “I was surprised, because LeBron had it going.”

Wade, in fact, was about to tell Spoelstra that it should be James’ play, then decided he was up to the moment.

Barely, with his left foot throbbing.

“I had no lift,” the veteran guard said, “that’s why I shot-putted it.”

For most of the night, it appeared the Heat had no lift, falling behind by 16 in the first half, then losing Wade at the start of the third quarter.

But there was enough in support to push the record to 3-0, from James, who also had seven assists and six rebounds, to 25 points on eight-of-13 shooting from forward Chris Bosh, to a needed 15-point outing from point guard Mario Chalmers and lockdown defense from Shane Battier in his longest outing of the season.

“You’ve got to win some of these games ugly,” Spoelstra said. “We settled down.”

The Heat held the Bobcats to 10 third-quarter points to get back into it and then rode the aggression of Bosh and James in the fourth until Wade had his moment.

Wade’s moment came after both he and James botched dunks, although James’s attempt should have counted since it bounced off Gerald Henderson’s head and back out after clearing the rim. James joked he would appeal to the league for his lost points.

But with the game on the line, it was Wade’s to win or lose.

Spoelstra said it was not because of Wade’s clutch reputation or James’s fourth-quarter struggles that had carried over to this season, but rather because he saw an opening on the same set that seconds earlier had resulted in a Wade turnover.

“We saw him able to put the ball on the floor,” Spoelstra said. “He had a rough night at times, but he saw a gap he could get into.”

The game ended with a missed three-point attempt by Bobcats guard D.J. Augustin.

“It’s good to see us show some resolve, some toughness,” Spoelstra said.

That resolve and toughness arrived when needed most.

“The first half,” James said, “wasn’t Miami Heat basketball.”

The Heat entered having trailed just 14 seconds this season. That figure grew exponentially, with Charlotte bolting to that 11-0 lead, moving ahead 32-20 after the first quarter and 60-45 at halftime.

Playing on the second night of their first back-to-back set of the season, the Heat hardly had the legs that powered a dazzling transition attack in the season-opening victories over the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics.

With Wade out at the start of the third quarter, James decided it had to be his style of basketball, consistently attacking the rim.

“I decided to add a little bit more,” he said, continuing his torrid scoring start to the season.

In the end, though, he stood aside, waiting and watching Wade win it.

“I guess,” James said with a grin, “that’s why they pay him the big bucks.”

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In Photo: Dwyane Wade elevates for a clear shot against Charlottes’ Bismack Biyombo, while the Heat’s Udonis Haslem and the Bobcats’ Byron Mullens look on. (AP)

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The Miami Heat won their third game in four days, walking away with the 96-95 victory against the Charlotte Bobcats on Dec. 28.

The Heat’s tough schedule finally started catching up to them. Miami’s players looked a step slower during the game, but they did manage to turn things around down the stretch.

Charlotte came out firing on all cylinders, outscoring the Heat by 12 points in the first quarter. The Heat played better in the second quarter, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Bobcats from adding three more points to their lead.

Whatever Erick Spoelstra told his players during the halftime break definitely worked, as the Heat came out strong in the third quarter, frustrating the Bobcats with their stifling defense. Miami finally took their first lead of the game, halfway through the fourth quarter. Both teams traded buckets from that point on, but Dwyane Wade stepped up to the plate in the final seconds of the game, kissing the ball off the backboard and giving the Heat a one point lead.

LeBron James had another monstrous performance for the Heat, finishing the game with 35 points (game high), 7 assists and 6 rebounds. Chris Bosh was right behind LeBron, putting up 25 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks against the Bobcats. Miami also got a nice boost from Mario Chalmers, who had 15 points and 4 assists against Charlotte.

Dwyane Wade on the other hand had a relatively quiet game, leaving with 10 points and 4 assists, but he did make the most important shot of the day.

Miami’s bench didn’t have their best performance of the season, finishing with a combined 11 points and 12 rebounds.

The Heat will get a day off, before visiting the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 30. The Timberwolves have struggled in their first two games of the season (going 0-2), and the Heat should be able to get their fourth straight win against them.

David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 15 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.

Sources:

Player and game information from ESPN.com

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- (Reuters) – The Miami Heat gained a little revenge for their loss in last year’s NBA finals, by spoiling the Dallas Mavericks‘ championship celebration with a resounding 105-94 victory on Sunday’s opening day of the season.

LeBron James was on fire as Miami ran away with the game, taking a 97-65 lead after three quarters, before allowing Dallas, who never led, to make the score respectable in the fourth.

The game was part of a five-game Christmas opening day to the delayed and reduced 66-game regular season, after the five month lockout during the dispute between players and owners over a new collective contract.

The Heat had to wait in their locker room as the Mavericks raised their championship banner minutes before the start of the game as Dallas players, wearing “2011 NBA Champions” on the back of their tracksuits, celebrated.

But when the game got underway, finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki and team-mates Jason Kidd and Jason Terry were swept aside by an impressive Heat, who showed exactly why they are the favorites for the title this season.

James scored 37 points and had 10 rebounds and six assists while Dwyane Wade contributed 26 points with eight rebounds and six assists, as the Heat‘s two biggest names offered an early reminder of their quality.

The pattern for the game was set in the first quarter with Miami establishing a 32-17 lead while Dallas had more turnovers than rebounds.

Dallas looked to be missing the defensive influence of Tyson Chandler, who they traded to the Knicks, and their biggest off-season arrival, Lamar Odom from the Los Angeles Lakers, was ejected in the third quarter and ended with just four points and four rebounds.

Miami began with the same starting line-up that ended Game Six of last season’s finals but gave first round draft pick Norris Cole an early chance and he impressed.

The Heat looked improved an a number of areas with Udonis Haslam now back to full fitness and free agent signing Shane Battier making his debut.

(Reporting by Simon Evans in Miami; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)