Wade helps Miami Heat stun Golden State Warriors
LOS ANGELES — Dwyane Wade banked in a miracle shot — a threepointer at the buzzer off of one leg — as the host Miami Heat shocked the two-time defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors 126-125 on Wednesday night.
For Miami, Goran Dragic had 27 points, Wade finished with 25 points, and Josh Richardson scored 21.
Klay Thompson led Golden State with 36 points, Kevin Durant had 29, and Stephen Curry added 24.
The Heat snapped their sixgame home losing streak, and they did it two nights after losing to the team with the worst record in the NBA, the Phoenix Suns.
Miami had also given Golden State a great battle on Feb. 10 before falling 120-118.
On Wednesday, Dragic scored 20 of his points in the second quarter when Miami led by as many as 24 points. That was the highest-scoring quarter of Dragic’s stellar career.
Warriors forward Draymond Green fouled out and was held to five points.
In addition, Golden State rested starting center DeMarcus Cousins, who missed one calendar year after foot surgery and didn’t return until Jan. 18. He had a season-high 24 points on Monday, but the Warriors played it safe.
Meanwhile, the Heat got three players off the injured list: wing Rodney McGruder (right knee), point guard Justise Winslow (left knee) and forward Derrick Jones (illness). The Heat was still missing power forward James Johnson (left shoulder).
Early on, the game was all Miami.
Durant missed his first five shots, helping the Heat build a 32-22 first-quarter lead.
Miami, which shot a sizzling 63.2 percent from the floor at halftime, including 9-for-18 on three-pointers, stretched its lead to 74-59 at the break. Thompson’s 21 first-half points kept Golden State at least within range for their explosive offense.
Sure enough, the Warriors cut their deficit to 100-92 after three quarters. Curry had 10 points in the third quarter, and Durant added eight.
The Warriors finally caught the Heat at 109-all on a Durant fall-away jumper with 5:09 left in the fourth quarter.
Golden State then led 124-120 with 18 seconds left, but Wade made two three-pointers in the final 15 seconds, including the one Heat fans likely will remember for a long time. —