The Miami Heat’s star-studded Big Three of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh will host and play in a charity game dubbed “The South Florida All-Star Classic,” according to ESPN.com. The game will be held on Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. ET at Florida International University, where Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas is coach. All proceeds will benefit a charity supporting South Florida’s educational community.

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Read More: nba schedule, 2011-12 cavs schedule, J.J. Hickson (F – SAC), Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers

The NBA released the 2011-12 schedule on Tuesday afternoon with a triple-header of action on opening night – November 1 – that includes the World Champion Dallas Mavericks hosting the Chicago Bulls and the Oklahoma City Thunder traveling to Los Angeles to face the Lakers.

One team NOT included in the opening night festivities are the Miami Heat.  They open the season on Wednesday, November 2 with a trip to Madison Square Garden to face the New York Knicks.

The Cleveland Cavaliers also open their 2011-12 season on the road, heading to Boston to face the Celtics.  Cleveland will take on the Toronto Raptors in the Home Opener at The Q on Friday, November 4.  Cleveland won’t spend long at home, however, taking their first trip to the West Coast starting November 6.  The Wine and Gold will play 3 games in 4 nights against the Los Angeles Clippers(11/6), Denver Nuggets(11/7) and Sacramento Kings(11/9) in the first meeting between the Cavaliers and J.J. Hickson.

What about the Miami Heat, you ask?  

The Cavaliers and Heat will play four times next season, with the Heat coming to Cleveland on Friday, November 18, a game that will be televised on ESPN.  The Heat will also be at The Q on February 17, 2012 while the Cavaliers will head to South Beach on March 7 and April 6.

The Novemeber 18th matchup is the only time the Cavaliers are scheduled to be on ESPN/ABC or TNT all season.  Cleveland will play 13 games in November, with 6 at home and 7 on the road.

Check out the complete 2011-12 NBA Schedule;  Cavaliers site Fear The Sword talk about the Cavs schedule as well!

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By Tom Ziller

– NBA Contributor

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Jun 5, 2011 – The Miami Heat were minutes away from taking a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, holding a 15-point lead with just over half of the fourth quarter to go. Everything had seemingly gone right for Miami, as the team’s sterling defense had held up for the second time against Dallas’ kismet attack, and it’s offense was clicking (even as Chris Bosh struggled).

But it all fell apart down the stretch. The Miami offense went into clock-milking mode, which totally killed the flow and resulted in bad shot after bad shot. On the other end, Dallas used long rebounds to get out early and catch the Heat resistance unsettled and disorganized. That resulted in a 22-5 that sealed a win for the Mavericks, giving the West’s champion a 1-1 split in Miami. It was the Heat’s first home loss of the postseason.

They need it back in Game 3 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The Mavericks are 7-1 at home this postseason, having lost Game 2 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the West finals. Miami is 4-3 on the road, with 1-1 splits in each of Philadelphia and Boston and a 2-1 roll in Chicago, where the Heat robbed home court advantage in Game 2 of the East finals and never looked back.

Game 2 in the East championship series is the last time the Heat found themselves trailing in a series; should the Mavericks win Game 3, Miami would be back in that spot. While we obviously know the Heat can bounce back, this Mavericks team seems to be made of different ingredients. When it’s pressed an advantage over opponents in these playoffs — think Game 5 against Portland, the Game 1 win in L.A. against the Lakers, Game 3 against OKC — it’s pressed it hard. No opponent has been able to breathe easy, because Dallas strikes twice. The run to end Game 2 was Dallas’ first strike of the Finals. Miami has to prepare for the next lunge.

As expected, two lovely teams are fighting their tails off in highly competitive games. What more could you want? Game 3 will tip at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. For full series coverage, check out our Heat vs. Mavericks hub. For more on the Heat, visit Peninsula Is Mightier. For more on the Mavericks, visit Mavs Moneyball and SB Nation Dallas.

Read More: Chris Bosh (F – MIA), LeBron James (F – MIA), Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, Miami Heat at Dallas Mavericks, Jun 5, 2011 8:00 PM EDT

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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – Only seven different teams have won the
NBA Championship since 1984. One of them, the Miami Heat, took home the trophy
in 2006 with a four-games-to-two win over the Dallas Mavericks. Five years
later, the two teams are back at it with mostly new casts of characters. For
Miami, only 2006 NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem are still with
the club, while Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry are the two players who remain
in Dallas.

The Mavericks were favored in that series at minus 151 so the smart folks who
wagered $100 to win $151 on the Heat blazed their way to the windows. On the
other hand, Dallas did cover four of the six games so the people who sided
with the Mavs on a game-by-game basis still came out ahead.

Coming into that 2005-06 NBA Finals, Dallas had won 10 of the previous 12
meetings when the two teams faced off against one another. The Mavs also took
the first two games in the ’06 championship series. Unfortunately, they
couldn’t maintain the momentum as Miami took care of business in quick fashion
winning the next four.

Heading into this series, almost the same exact scenario is in play as Dallas
has won the last 10 meetings, including both contests this season. The first
game was an 11-point home victory, a game LeBron James shot 5-of-19 to go
along with five turnovers. The second matchup was a two-point win at Miami as
James, once again, failed to convert from the floor going 6-for-17 with five
more miscues.

Despite that, Miami comes into the series is the heavy favorite at -175,
mostly due to the fact that LeBron James has gotten his act together and has
led the Heat with one exceptional performance after another. His almost
flawless play began in the closing game against Boston where he carried his
squad into the Eastern Conference Finals scoring the game’s final 10 points in
the 97-87 victory.

In the four straight wins over Chicago, James averaged 28.5 points-per-game,
and along with Wade, the two superstars blew past the Bulls in game five with
a combined 16 points during a ferocious late-game comeback. Still, despite
losing only one game straight up and against the spread in its last seven, the
Heat has not destroyed its opponents as one would have expected. Two of the
wins needed overtime and two more were late fourth quarter comebacks.

Miami has two of the top three players in the series with Dallas so the right
team is favored. Nevertheless, don’t discount the underdogs as the West has
won nine of the last 12 NBA Finals.

CAN DALLAS TOPPLE THE HEAT?

The Mavericks also needed monster comebacks of their own to take down their
last adversary, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Dallas trailed in game four by 15
points with just over five minutes remaining and won it in overtime, and then
rallied in the fifth game of the Western Conference Finals pulling it out in
the final 4:30 minutes. Furthermore, more than half of their conference
playoff games were either decided by six points or less, or in overtime. They
are getting some respect as Miami is just a 4.5-point favorite in game one.
The last time the two teams played in Miami, the Heat was favored by seven. In
addition, Caron Butler, who played in both Dallas wins, is out of the lineup.
Given that, why is the line so low, especially since Miami is playing much
better ball in late May compared to late December?

A lot of it has to do with Dirk Nowitzki. Take away game three versus Oklahoma
City and the 32-year-old has averaged 30.5 ppg in the postseason on 60-percent
shooting from the floor, including an amazing 69-percent from three-point
territory.

As for the team, the Mavericks have not only won 16 of their last 19, they are
16-2-1 ATS. Moreover, the road has not been a problem considering they are
6-0-1 ATS away from home in the playoffs. The Mavs have also fared very well
in Miami during the regular season of late as the last time they failed to
cover came all the way back in the 2002-03 campaign. They also went 2-1 ATS in
the three road playoff games against the Heat in 2006.

Still, in order to win the title, Dallas must shoot at a high percentage – a
task that could be a little too daunting since Miami was second in the NBA in
defensive field goal percentage. (The Heat is also currently second in the
postseason, a shade behind the Indiana Pacers.)

Dallas also will need major offensive contributions from three veterans in
Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, and Shawn Marion. More importantly is how the troika
handles the Heat on the defensive side considering their average age is 35-
years-old. When compared to the youth of Miami, it seems as if the Mavs will
literally be run out of town. James, Wade, and Bosh are all under 30 with
their average age at just 27-years-old. The longer the series goes, the more
advantageous it will be for the Heat, even though games three, four, and five
will be played in Dallas.

Given that, don’t expect Dallas to continue its amazing run both SU and ATS as
the Heat will be ready to win its second title in six years. Miami is on a
mission to prove all the naysayers wrong so look for the Heat to come through
with flying colors and win the title in five.

The Sports Network

Thanks for reading! .

Read More: nba playoffs schedule, 2011 nba playoffs, 2011 nba playoffs schedule, bulls vs heat, miami vs chicago, 2011 nba eastern conference finals, 2011 nba finals, LeBron James (F – MIA), Derrick Rose (G – CHI), Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder

LeBron James and the Miami Heat face Derrick Rose’s Chicago Bulls in the first elimination game of their 2011 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals series. The Heat hold a commanding 3-1 lead over the Bulls and with a win Thursday could schedule a rematch with the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals. The Mavs were able to take care of their business and eliminated the Oklahoma City Thunder in their Game 5 to win the Western Conference Finals 4-1.

The Heat have a tougher task ahead with their playoff elimination game coming on the road where as the Mavs were able to play Game 5 at home. Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, while certainly motivated, don’t seem to have the same burning hunger that drove veterans stars Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion and Jason Kidd to put away Kevin Durant’s young Thunder team.

The task of staving off elimination got more difficult for the Bulls with news this week that their backup center, Omer Asik, will is out with a broken leg. It’s going to take an absolutely brilliant performance from Derrick Rose to keep the Bulls from going home with just one win. The Heat, like the Mavs, proved that experience and having the better player will make the difference in a close playoff game. It’s been LeBron James coming up huge time and again in late game situations that’s put Miami ahead three games to one.

Game 5 of the Miami Heat vs Chicago Bulls tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 PT on TNT. The game will be played at Chicago’s American Airlines Arena. (NBA.com video preview of Game 5). Check here for a full schedule of the 2011 NBA Finals.

MIAMI, FL – MAY 24: (L-R) Kyle Korver #26, Carlos Boozer #5, Derrick Rose #1 and Luol Deng #9 of the Chicago Bulls look on against the Miami Heat in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2011 NBA Playoffs on May 24, 2011 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. LeBron James. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)

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MIAMI (CBS4) – Fans can expect another very physical game Sunday night when the Miami Heat takes on the Chicago Bulls at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami.

Tip off is at 8:30 p.m.

“We haven’t been able to ease into anything this year,” Heat forward LeBron James said.

Don’t look for that to change anytime soon, either.

When Game 2 ended Wednesday, just about everyone in the Heat locker room had an icepack strapped to something, and more than a few limped their way to the bus that would carry them to the airport.

Just think: They were the winning side.

“Fortunately, we were able to have some days to recuperate,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Our guys, they’re not shying away from it. Neither team is. Both teams have built these habits for the entire season. We’ve proven we’re an aggressive, attacking, physical defense that rebounds the basketball. … They’ve proven to be the same. So you have two things colliding into each other.”

The Bulls — the NBA’s top overall seed who no longer has home-court advantage in this series — have shown they can recover quickly. After each of their three previous playoff losses, Chicago answered with a double-digit win in the next game.

Plus, the Bulls haven’t lost consecutive games since February 5-7.

“Don’t jinx us like that,” Bulls guard Derrick Rose said.

Since 2006, when the Heat won their lone title, the winner of Game 3 of the East title series has advanced to the NBA finals every time.

“This is going to be a crazy game, where I think they’re going to have a lot of confidence,” said Rose, the NBA’s MVP this season. “Some way, somehow, we’ve just got to come up with this win no matter how we get it. We’ve just got to have more intensity than them and play way more aggressive.”

Can this series get any more aggressive?

Wade seems to think it might. Scoring might be plentiful in the Oklahoma City-Dallas matchup out West, but the East likely will be won in gritty fashion.

“This is a very physical series,” Wade said. “This is a grind-out series. You look at our series compared to the other series, it’s night and day between the styles. Very physical and I’m sure both teams in between games are in the icetub, trying to get their body ready for the next one.”

The Bulls manhandled Miami on the boards on the way to a Game 1 rout, getting 31 second-chance points in the series opener. Miami cut that nearly in half for Game 2, holding Chicago to 18 second-chance points and out rebounding the Bulls 45-41.

Miami was markedly better on defense as well.

Chicago had four field goals in the final 13 minutes of Game 2, all of them by reserve Taj Gibson, and the Heat outscored the Bulls 14-10 in the fourth quarter, which Spoelstra and Miami pointed to afterward as a source of major pride.

“We have to execute a lot better,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We have to screen better. We have to keep the ball moving. But we have to get some easy baskets, too.”

In Game 2, that wasn’t happening.

The Bulls had 83 different quarters this season in which they scored 29 points. On Wednesday, that’s what they managed in the entire second half.

“We’re all in it together,” said James, who had nine big points in a late 11-2 run that snapped a 73-all tie and sealed the Game 2 win. “I made a few plays down the stretch. But if we didn’t continue to get stops defensively and give ourselves an opportunity to get in that position, we wouldn’t be 1-1 now.”

If anyone really enjoyed the long gap between Games 2 and 3, it was James.

He’s played at least 40 minutes in nine of Miami’s last 10 playoff games — and the lone exception was a matchup where he was six seconds shy of that. James has averaged nearly 46 minutes of playing time in the last four Heat games, yet insists he’s not wearing down whatsoever.

“I never ask him if he’s tired or if he can absorb that many minutes,” Spoelstra said. “He’s a remarkably well-conditioned athlete. In many ways, he’s a freak of nature.”

Really, the tone of this series should be no surprise.

Chicago had the NBA’s top field-goal percentage defense this season at .430. Miami was second at .434.

“We want to come back there and bounce back and get back on the right page, because things can go bad quick,” Bulls swingman Ronnie Brewer said. “You don’t want to get into a habit that one game leads to two to three losses. So you usually try to turn it around as quickly as possible.”

Rose will look for a bounceback, after shooting only 7 of 23 in Game 2. Strange as it may sound, the bigger boost for Chicago may come if Kyle Korver — off to a 2 for 10 start in the series — gets his shot going again. The Bulls are 30-4 this season when Korver scores at least 10 points, 41-20 when he doesn’t.

“I’m not going to get wide open in the series,” Korver said.

Hardly anybody is.

Even with all the star power — James, Wade, Rose, Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer — the teams are shooting a combined 43 percent from the field, 31 percent from 3-point range. And both sides are convinced that Sunday night, a play here or there might be the difference.

“It hasn’t been a lot of yakking back and forth,” Wade said. “Just a lot of hard work. Who knows if it’ll get there, but you always know it’s going to be hard work between these two teams.”

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

There is the quick update of the day.

After a sluggish start to the season, the Miami Heat’s All-Star trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have silenced their critics and head into the playoffs among the favourites to win an NBA title.

One of the most talented fields in recent memory will open the playoffs this weekend when 16 teams start a gruelling push toward the NBA Finals where the eventual champion will have made it through four best-of-seven-games series.

The Los Angeles Lakers are seeking a third straight title, the San Antonio Spurs are looking to cap an impressive season with their first NBA championship since 2007 and the top-seeded Chicago Bulls hope most valuable player front-runner Derrick Rose can end the team’s 12-year title drought.

The Heat, who compiled the third-best record in the regular season despite a mediocre 8-7 start to their campaign, begin their quest for a championship against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday in the Eastern Conference quarter-final.

Miami were tagged as favourites to win a title the moment Bosh and James decided to join Wade in Miami in the offseason to form what many considered to be an unstoppable force.

But getting to the NBA Finals will be no easy feat as Miami could potentially face the Boston Celtics in the second round and then the Bulls in the Conference decider.

“Staying the course,” James said. “That’s all (Miami coach Erik Spoelstra) talked about. Staying the course, staying the course, and we’ll get through everything.”

The streaking Bulls, who capped the regular season with nine straight wins to overtake San Antonio for the best overall record, enter the playoffs as the favourites after bowing out in the first round in each of the last two seasons.

Chicago, who have lost only five games at home all season, have home-court advantage throughout the postseason starting with a first-round matchup against the Indiana Pacers, the only team in the playoffs with a losing regular season record.

The Boston Celtics, last year’s runner-up, play Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks in the first round while the Orlando Magic, powered by two-time defending defensive player of the year Dwight Howard, will battle the Atlanta Hawks in the other Eastern Conference series.

In the Western Conference, the Spurs kept their grip on first place despite a late-season skid while 13-times All-Star Tim Duncan was out with an ankle injury.

But the Spurs will limp into the playoffs having lost two straight games and with questions surrounding the health of guard Manu Ginobili, who hyperextended his right elbow during the regular-season finale.

San Antonio, who were eliminated in the second round of the postseason last year, play the Memphis Grizzlies in the opening round this year, a team they lost to twice in March.

The Dallas Mavericks will face the Portland Trail Blazers while the Oklahoma City Thunder will play a Denver Nuggets team that has thrived since trading four-times All-Star Anthony to the Knicks in February.

The Lakers were able to breath a collective sigh of relief after learning center Andrew Bynum, who injured his right knee earlier this week, is expected to be ready to play in the first round against the New Orleans Hornets.

Bynum, considered a vital piece in helping the team win a record-equalling 17th title, had an MRI that showed he has a bone bruise which the team said on Wednesday was not serous.

“He allows us to be the dominant team we’re capable of being,” said Lakers guard Derek Fisher. “It’s hard to think about not having him for any significant length of time. It was tough to see.”

Schedule of games for the first round of the National Basketball Association playoffs:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1-Chicago v. 8-Indiana

Game 1 – April 16 at Chicago
Game 2 – April 18 at Chicago
Game 3 – April 21 at Indiana
Game 4 – April 23 at Indiana
Game 5* – April 26 at Chicago
Game 6* – April 28 at Indiana
Game 7* – April 30 at Chicago

2-Miami v. 7-Philadelphia

Game 1 – April 16 at Miami
Game 2 – April 18 at Miami
Game 3 – April 21 at Philadelphia
Game 4 – April 24 at Philadelphia
Game 5* – April 27 at Miami
Game 6* – April 29 at Philadelphia
Game 7* – May 1 at Miami

3-Boston v. 6-New York

Game 1 – April 17 at Boston
Game 2 – April 19 at Boston
Game 3 – April 22 at New York
Game 4 – April 24 at New York
Game 5* – April 26 at Boston
Game 6* – April 29 at New York
Game 7* – May 1 at Boston

4-Orlando v. 5-Atlanta

Game 1 – April 16 at Orlando
Game 2 – April 19 at Orlando
Game 3 – April 22 at Atlanta
Game 4 – April 24 at Atlanta
Game 5* – April 26 at Orlando
Game 6* – April 28 at Atlanta
Game 7* – April 30 at Orlando

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1-San Antonio v. 8-Memphis

Game 1 – April 17 at San Antonio
Game 2 – April 20 at San Antonio
Game 3 – April 23 at Memphis
Game 4 – April 25 at Memphis
Game 5* – April 27 at San Antonio
Game 6* – April 29 at Memphis
Game 7* – May 1 at San Antonio

2-L.A. Lakers vs. 7-New Orleans

Game 1 – April 17 at Los Angeles
Game 2 – April 20 at Los Angeles
Game 3 – April 22 at New Orleans
Game 4 – April 24 at New Orleans
Game 5* – April 26 at Los Angeles
Game 6* – April 28 at New Orleans
Game 7* – April 30 at Los Angeles

3-Dallas v. 6-Portland

Game 1 – April 16 at Dallas
Game 2 – April 19 at Dallas
Game 3 – April 21 at Portland
Game 4 – April 23 at Portland
Game 5* – April 25 at Dallas
Game 6* – April 28 at Portland
Game 7* – April 30 at Dallas

4-Oklahoma City v. 5-Denver

Game 1 – April 17 at Oklahoma City
Game 2 – April 20 at Oklahoma City
Game 3 – April 23 at Denver
Game 4 – April 25 at Denver
Game 5* – April 27 at Oklahoma City
Game 6* – April 29 at Denver
Game 7* – May 1 at Oklahoma City

*If necessary

- Reuters

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MIAMI (CBS4) – Miami Heat’s LeBron James studies statistics all the time. One in particular is jumping out at him these days. And it has nothing to do with basketball.

James will help lead a new stay-in-school initiative being unveiled in Washington on Monday called “26 Seconds,” a reference to how often studies show a high school student drops out of school. The project is sponsored by State Farm, the insurance company with whom James has had a business relationship with for many years.

The Miami Heat star went directly to the NBA after graduating high school.

“First of all, ’26 Seconds’ is basically an initiative behind kids staying in school,” James said Wednesday on Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s weekly show on SiriusXM. “Every 26 seconds a kid drops out of school and that’s not good. I think in America, we all know when kids graduate, they have a better future in life.”

In a separate interview Wednesday before his Miami Heat hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder, James later said he was “blown away” by the dropout-rate numbers.

“It’s a staggering statistic,” James said. “You would never think in your wildest dreams something like that happens. So it was a no-brainer for me to be part of it.”

James has an interest in several projects involving children’s causes, including work with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Many of his efforts put a premium on education.

“It’s basically kids getting parents aware of the situation,” James said on Krzyzewski’s show, ‘Basketball and Beyond with Coach K.’ “Kids with no education is not how it should be. Every kid should have the opportunity to have an education and we’re going to make sure we pinpoint those certain situations in whatever community it is to make it a huge awareness in people’s lives.”

James and Krzyzewski discussed several other things in a 5 1/2-minute interview, including how the Heat are getting ready for the playoffs — and how Krzyzewski’s Duke club is prepping for the postseason as well. Injured point guard Kyrie Irving, one of the nation’s top players, may return for the Blue Devils’ West Regional opener against 16th-seeded Hampton on Friday in Charlotte.

“I love Kyrie. He’s a great kid,” James said. “I talk to him all the time, coach, just keeping his spirits high.”

Krzyzewski, who coached James and his Heat teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the U.S. gold-medal-winning team at the Beijing Olympics, also took the opportunity to subtly sneak in a reminder that the 2012 London Games are fast approaching.

“I’m always recruiting,” Krzyzewski told James. “We had you for the last Olympics. Don’t fail me now and not be there in London with me.”

Replied James, who said on Nov. 4 that if Krzyzewski wants him, he’d be there for the London Games: “I hear you, Coach.”

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

MIAMI (Reuters) – Kevin Durant scored 29 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder cooled the surging Miami Heat with a 96-85 triumph on Wednesday for their fifth straight win.

Durant, the NBA’s leading scorer, won his one-on-one duel with fellow All-Star forward LeBron James as the Thunder snapped the Heat’s three-game winning streak.

“My team mates always put me in great positions to score. I’ve been working out as hard as I can this season and the shots are starting to fall for me,” Durant told reporters after adding seven rebounds and six assists.

“It was a great win for the Oklahoma City Thunder.”

Russell Westbrook added 18 points in the winning effort and Oklahoma City used defense to contain Miami which shot just 38 percent from the field.

Heat pair Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh scored 21 points each while James finished with 19 for Miami, which fell three games behind the top spot in the Eastern Conference held jointly by the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls.

“Tough game, and they beat us in a lot of the tough-area categories, particularly on the glass,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said.

The Heat (46-22) had responded to a five-game losing streak with a trio of impressive wins, including a 30-point blowout over the NBA-best San Antonio Spurs on Monday, but were undone by a poor second-half effort against Oklahoma City.

Miami managed just 40 points after the interval to allow the Thunder to turn a one-point halftime lead into a double-digit advantage.

Oklahoma City began the fourth quarter with an 11-2 run that gave the visitors a 78-66 lead with 7:39 remaining.

The Northwest Division-leading Thunder (44-23) have won eight of their last nine games and are fourth in the Western Conference.

Center Kendrick Perkins played in his second game for the Thunder after he missed nine contests with a knee injury since the team acquired him in a trade with the Boston Celtics.

Perkins played limited minutes but is expected to provide a strong defensive presence.

(Editing by John O’Brien)

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

Oklahoma City had one of its worst shooting nights of the season. The way the Thunder played defense, hardly anyone noticed.

Except the Miami Heat, that is.

Kevin Durant scored 29 points on 12 for 21 shooting, Russell Westbrook added 18 and the Thunder gave Miami’s offense fits on the way to a 96-85 victory over the Heat on Wednesday night.

“Our defense was as good as it could possibly play,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said.

James Harden scored 12 points for the Thunder, who have won five straight. Oklahoma City shot just 40 percent, and had been 7-13 when connecting on less than 43 percent of its chances this season.

It didn’t matter Wednesday after holding the Heat to 38 percent shooting, plus having a dominating 24-10 edge in second-chance points. Miami shot a season-low 29 percent after halftime.

“One thing we’ve gotten better at is closing games out,” Durant said.

Chris Bosh had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Dwyane Wade scored 21 points and LeBron James finished with 19 for the Heat, who had won three straight and were averaging 114 points in their last two games.

“We missed some pretty good chances,” Bosh said.

And the Heat were hopping mad as this slipped away.

Miami had a chance with 3½ minutes left, Wade getting the ball in transition and the Heat down by seven. He missed a layup and contended he got fouled — replays showed he clearly had a case, with Serge Ibaka grabbing him from behind — but nothing was called.

That is, until Wade overreacted.

He slammed his hand into the padding around the basket support, an unusual display for him, and Greg Willard responded with a technical after Harden made a 3-pointer. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra earned a technical as well, Durant made one of the two free throws, and the Thunder lead was 11 with 3:11 left.

Afterward, James and Wade both saluted what Oklahoma City did defensively.

“Tonight is not one of those games where you feel awful about how you played,” James said.

Ibaka finished with 12 rebounds and three blocks, and the Thunder outrebounded Miami 51-40.

“We have some of the best attackers in the game. They usually go over the top,” Spoelstra said. “They were being met at the rim. They forced us into some tough opportunities. Regardless of whether we feel there was contact or not, you have to give them credit with their defense.”

The loss reduced the almost-nonexistent margin for error Miami has in the Eastern Conference, where the No. 3 seed looks like it will be reality entering the playoffs.

The Heat (46-22) are now three games behind Chicago and Boston in the race for the No. 1 seed, but in actuality, the gap is wider than that. Chicago and Boston both are four games ahead in the loss column, plus hold tiebreakers over Miami.

“You know they are going to find ways to win games,” Thunder center Kendrick Perkins said. “Come playoff time, they are still scary. Coming into this arena, knowing that you have to play those guys, is still scary.”

Oklahoma City (44-23) stayed 3½ games ahead of Denver for No. 4 in the Western Conference.

Wade tried giving Miami a lift with 8 minutes left, lurking from behind to swat a layup attempt by Eric Maynor several rows into the seats. But on the continuation of Oklahoma City’s possession, former Heat guard Daequan Cook — one of the players Miami cut loose to free salary cap room last summer — made a 3-pointer to stretch the Thunder cushion to 76-66.

Durant followed with a 20-footer on the next trip, the lead was 12, and the league’s reigning scoring champion was finally in position to knock off one of James’ teams for the first time.

They had met six times before Wednesday, their head-to-head scoring numbers almost a push: 28.5 per game for James, 26.5 per game for Durant. But the results had always gone James’ way, including each of the last three where the Thunder had great chances entering the fourth only to be thwarted.

Not this time, though Durant shrugged it off afterward.

“It was a great win for the Oklahoma City Thunder,” Durant said.

Miami was down 13 early, then went on a 17-4 run to knot it late in the half.

Wade spun past Harden and Ibaka, then elevated with two hands over Perkins for a dunk to start the burst. James blew past Durant for a slam — and while that was still being replayed in the arena, he got another one-hander to tie it 43.

That was Miami’s best stretch, and the Thunder controlled things from there.

NOTES: The teams combined for 13 dunks in the first half, Oklahoma City getting seven. … James made a 40-footer late in the first half, long after Miami called a 20-second time-out. … Durant (4-6) made as many field goals in the third quarter as Miami (4-16), a period in which Wade and James both went 1 for 5.

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MIAMI

The Miami Heat spent much of Wednesday night trying to keep the ball out of Kevin Durant’s hands, trapping the Oklahoma City Thunder forward as often as possible.

But when Durant got his chances, he made the Heat pay.

And got his breakthrough.

Entering 0-6 all-time in games against LeBron James, Durant scored 29 points to power the Thunder to a 96-85 victory at AmericanAirlines Arena.

The loss snapped the Heat’s three-game winning streak and left them at 3-3 in the homestand that ended Wednesday.

“Tough game,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, “and they beat us in a lot of the tough-area categories, particularly on the glass.”

Utilizing stifling defense, particularly in the third quarter when they limited the Heat to 17 points on 4-of-16 shooting, the Thunder took a 67-62 lead into the fourth quarter and held on from there.

With Durant shooting 12 of 21 and adding seven rebounds and six assists, the Thunder avenged a 108-103 Jan. 30 loss to the Heat in Oklahoma City. He was supported by 18 points from point guard Russell Westbrook.

There was one period of unbridled fury Wednesday for the Heat, with Dwyane Wade and James attacking the rim and the defense stifling.

The problem was there was more to the game than those final six minutes of the second quarter, which the Heat ended with a 15-5 surge.

Otherwise, there simply were not enough answers for Durant & Co.

Wade said the Heat could take solace from limiting the Thunder to .398 shooting.

“We just couldn’t get enough offense going,” Wade said. “This game here feels different.”

James seconded that notion.

“Tonight is not one of those games where you feel awful about the way you played,” James said. “We couldn’t make any shots.”

The loss further reduced the Heat’s chances of closing with a top-two seed in the Eastern Conference.

Asked what’s next in this most uneven of seasons, Spoelstra said, “Pick ourselves up, regroup, refresh and get focused for the game Friday at Atlanta.”

While Chris Bosh continued his recent inspired play with 21 points and 11 rebounds, the Heat needed more than the 19 points from James and 21 from Wade. None of the Heat’s stars was particularly sharp, with Bosh shooting 6 of 17, Wade 7 of 21 and James 8 of 21.

“We missed some pretty good chances,” Bosh said.

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MIAMI

Miami Heat center Zydrunas Ilgauskas missed his second consecutive game because of a foot infection.

Ilgauskas spent two days in the hospital before being released Monday.

He was not on the bench for the game against the San Antonio Spurs at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said there is no timetable on his return. He is doubtful for Wednesday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

“He is at home resting right now,” Spoelstra said. “We’ll have to wait and see [when he returns], until he gets back into gear.”

The injury occurred when Ilgauskas recently stepped on a nail.

Spoelstra said the infection worsened because it wasn’t treated immediately. He said it was something that got “progressively worse” in the past couple days.

“They kept him one more night just to clear everything up,” Spoelstra said.

“He is 60-70 percent better than he was. … They need to clear up the infection first. We’ll re-evaluate him as soon he gets out of the hospital and back to the arena.”

Heat forward Juwan Howard and center Jamaal Magloire have filled in during Ilgauskas’ absence.

Wade grabs honor

Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade on Monday was named NBA Player of the Week from the Eastern Conference for the period ending Sunday.

Wade led the Heat to a 2-1 week, averaging 28.7 points on .508 shooting (30 for 59) to go along with 6.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds.

Saturday, Wade became the first guard since Michael Jordan in 1988 to have at least 28 points, nine rebounds, five assists and five blocks in a game.

This marks a franchise-record 15th time Wade has received the honor and the 31st time in franchise history a Heat player has earned Player of the Week.

Additionally, this marks the third time Wade has received Player of the Week this season, having previously earned the honors for games played December 6-12 and for games played December 27- January 2.

Spurs guard Tony Parker took the Western Conference’s weekly honor.

Playing 48 minutes

Heat forward LeBron James said consistency remains the biggest concern before the playoffs begin. James said the team still experiences lulls that hampered them during the early portion of the season.

“We have possessions throughout one quarter where we have four or five straight turnovers,” James said. “Once we start to do that and fill out all our possessions the right way, we will give ourselves a good chance to win any game.”

Popovich says Heat a contender

Despite the criticism and the Heat’s poor record against winning teams, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich still looks at them as an elite team.

Popovich called it “foolish” to define the Heat by their 30-point loss to the Spurs March 4.

“They’re a very good basketball team,” Popovich said.

“They’re a championship contender with three or four different teams in that category. Win or lose a game, your respect for the Miami Heat doesn’t go down, that would be foolish.”

srichardson@tribune.com

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