Wade’s late show lifts Heat over Thunder
Nuggets hold off Raptors to end losing streak
>> LOS ANGELES: Guard Dwyane Wade rattled in two game-winning free throws with 1.5 seconds left to lift the Miami Heat to a 97-95 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday.
“He somehow found daylight,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Wade’s drive to the basket that drew a foul on forward Serge Ibaka. “I’m surprised he found energy to jump.”
“Dwyane is a proven Hall of Fame talent, particularly in the fourth quarter. He’s going to have the courage to make plays.”
Wade scored Miami’s final eight points en route to a total of 28 to overshadow guard Russell Westbrook and forward Kevin Durant, each of whom had 25 points for the Thunder at Miami’s American Airlines Arena.
NBA Southern Division leaders Miami improved to 11-6. Oklahoma City, leading the Northwest Division, dropped to 11-8.
Durant got into foul trouble early and then was hit with a technical foul in the second quarter when he got into an exchange with Heat guard Goran Dragic. Durant, who was attempting an alley-oop dunk on the play, was upset that Dragic bumped him as he sailed by.
Heat centre Hassan Whiteside tallied 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. He had a spectacular end-to-end sequence in the second quarter, scoring on an alley-oop dunk and then blocking a Durant layup despite trailing the play on a fast break.
Elsewhere, guard Will Barton scored 22 points, forward Danilo Gallinari added 21, and the Denver Nuggets held on to defeat the Toronto Raptors 106-105 to end an eight-game losing streak.
Forward Darrell Arthur added 19 points for the Nuggets, while centre Joffrey Lauvergne scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
In Salt Lake City, forward Tobias Harris led six players in double figures and the Orlando Magic took advantage of centre Rudy Gobert’s absence to beat the Utah Jazz 103-94.
In Mexico City, the Boston Celtics humbled the Sacramento Kings 114-97 as the NBA held a regularseason game in Mexico City for the second year in a row.
Four Celtics players finished with at least 20 points, with point guard Isaiah Thomas scoring 21 and dishing out nine assists in front of a crowd of 18,860 at the Mexico City Arena.
Kings guard and former Celtic Rajon Rondo had a rough reunion with his ex-teammates, getting ejected midway through the third quarter after a second technical foul for arguing with the referee.
The Celtics improved to 11-8 and sit in second place in the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division while the Kings fell to 7-13 and lie in fourth place in the Western Conference’s Pacific Division.