THE LEGEND OF Dwyane Wade grew a little larger last night as the 37-year-old banked in a buzzer-beating three-pointer to lift the Heat to a 126-125 victory over the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors.
Buzzer-beaters rarely need added drama, but Wade faked an initial effort as Kevin Durant flew in to block and then saw his initial effort blocked by Jordan Bell. Yet he regathered with 0.7 on the clock, just enough time to unleash the winner.
Miami led by as many as 24 points and were ahead by eight going into the fourth quarter.
Durant’s jump shot tied it at 109-109 with five minutes remaining and his three-pointer with 67 seconds left — plus a free throw after he was fouled on the play, gave the Warriors a 122-118 lead.
Golden State were still up by four when Wade drained a three-pointer with 15 seconds left and after Durant made one of two free-throws to put the Warriors lead at two, Wade, who will retire at the end of the season, delivered from the top of the arc — hanging on when his first attempt was blocked and draining a second effort for the victory which ends a six-game losing run for the Heat.
“I’ve been in this position so many times and so many times you don’t make the shot,” Wade, a three-time NBA champion, said. “And the one I make is a one-legged flick from my chest. It’s crazy.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr called it an “unbelievable shot” from the 37-year-old.
“I knew it was going in as soon as it left his hand,” Kerr said. “I guess it’s fitting. His last season, this kind of game — for him to finish it the way he did, incredible.”
Miami had taken control of the contest early, led by 27 points from Goran Dragic.
Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 36 points and Kevin Durant added 29, but Kerr said the slow start was too much to overcome for the Warriors, who maintained a half-game lead over the Denver Nuggets atop the Western Conference.
The #LakeShow was in full effect tonight 🔥 pic.twitter.com/sA2hFvYHlg
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 28, 2019
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In LA, LeBron James scored a late dagger to cap his 33 points in a 125 -119 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, drawing a quietly impressed reaction from Anthony Davis.
Brandon Ingram added 23 points for the Lakers, who led by 12 early in the fourth quarter but saw the cushion trimmed to 118-117 with 1:38 remaining.
“We played some really good basketball, and you want to try to close it out the best you can, especially on your home floor,” James said after the Lakers snapped a two-game skid.
Eastern leaders Milwaukee improved their league-best record to 47-14 as they downed the Kings 141-140 in overtime in Sacramento to notch a sixth straight win.
There was no respite for the Boston Celtics, whose 97-92 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers was their fourth straight loss.
Houston star James Harden endured a tough shooting night but still managed to crank out 30 points as the Rockets defeated the Hornets 118-113 in Charlotte.
Charlotte guard Kemba Walker scored 35 points, but missed two three-pointers in the final minutes as the Hornets dropped their third straight.
Harden, who saw his streak of consecutive 30-point games end at 32 on Monday, struggled from the floor, making 10 of 29 shots including just one of 11 from three-point range. But he made nine of nine free throws, including four late foul shots that helped the Rockets pull through.
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