At his worst, Lebron still leads Miami
MIAMI—LeBron James endured his worst shooting night of the season, and still delivered the biggest basket of the game.
That's how things are going these days for the Miami Heat.
Dwyane Wade scored 22 points and set up James for a critical three-pointer in the final half-minute, and the Heat extended their winning streak to 13 games by beating the Memphis Grizzlies, 98-91, on Friday night.
''I thought this was one of our better wins of the season,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ''It was tough. We had to work for everything. We had to find a different way to win, deal with frustration ... and then make some plays down the stretch.''
On a night when he shot just 4 for 14, James finished two rebounds shy of a triple-double, with 18 points and 10 assists. Shane Battier scored 14, Chris Bosh added 13 and Ray Allen had 10 for Miami, which snapped Memphis' eight-game winning streak.
But down the stretch, James—who had 14 points, four rebounds and four assists in the fourth quarter alone—was simply too much to handle.
''He made the big shot and that's all that matters,'' said Memphis' Marc Gasol, who led all scorers with 24. ''He wasn't having the usual (numbers) he normally gets. I think we did a good job. He took a shot like he's supposed to and made it so kudos, move on.''
Gasol tied the game with a pair of free throws with 2:44 left, before the Heat scored the next five— and quickly—to build a bit of breathing room. Bosh had a three-point play, and Wade took off in transition for a slam that put Miami up 90-85.
Memphis wasn't done. Gasol made two more free throws, then scored off a dribble-drive with 42.5 seconds left to get the Grizzlies within 90-89.
But that was the last gasp.
On the next Miami possession, James hit a threepointer with 24 seconds remaining, and the Heat made free throws from there to close out the win.
''I've got confidence I'm going to knock it down, just like all the other ones I've missed,'' James said. (AP)