NBA Game Summary - Miami at New Jersey

East Rutherford, NJ (Basketball News) - Dwyane Wade poured in 34 points and handed out nine assists, as the Miami Heat completed a sweep of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against New Jersey with a 110-97 victory over the Nets in Game 4 at Continental Airlines Arena.

Eddie Jones added 21 points for Miami, which swept a best-of-seven series for the first time in franchise history.

Shaquille O’Neal scored all 17 of his points in the second half and also pulled down eight rebounds for the Heat, who will meet the winner of the Chicago/Washington series in the conference semifinals.

"They had momentum coming in and we wasn’t playing as well, but when the playoffs start, it’s a different season," said Wade. "You focus on each game and that’s what we did."

Jason Kidd paced New Jersey with 25 points and seven assists. Vince Carter chipped in 23 points and 10 boards for the Nets, who have lost nine straight games against Miami, dating back to the 2003-04 regular season. Richard Jefferson and Nenad Krstic each netted 17 points in the loss.

Kidd’s three-pointer with 6:54 left in the third quarter gave New Jersey a 60-57 advantage. The Heat then countered with a 9-0 spurt, keyed by Damon Jones’ three-pointer, to move in front by six.

Miami eventually led 78-70 after 36 minutes. Eddie Jones hit a 20-foot jumper in the closing seconds of the third period to account for the eight-point margin.

The Nets were able to close within 84-81 on another three-point shot by Kidd with just over eight minutes remaining, but Keyon Dooling responded with a three-pointer for the Heat and Wade followed with a layup to restore an eight-point advantage.

O’Neal later put the game away, as his three-point play with 2:17 left increased Miami’s lead to 99-88. New Jersey got no closer than eight points the rest of the way.

"That is a sign of a good team," said O’Neal when asked about closing the series out on the road. "Everybody stepped up. Certain guys you didn’t expect to play well played well. Keyon played well, Damon played well and the whole team played well."

Consecutive three-pointers by Eddie Jones staked the Heat to an early 10-4 lead. Miami continued to pour it on and extended its advantage to 20-8 on a three-point play by Wade with 5:15 left the first quarter.

After the Nets pulled within 20-14, the Heat ended the period with a 7-2 run, capped by Wade’s dunk at the buzzer, and held a 27-16 lead after 12 minutes.

New Jersey then opened the second quarter with a 15-6 spurt, capped by Carter’s jumper, to cut the deficit to 33-31. The Nets later grabbed a 38-37 advantage following Kidd’s basket with 4:20 remaining in the period.

The rest of the stanza was tight and ended with Miami clinging to a 48-47 lead. Wade ended the first half with 21 points, while Jefferson led New Jersey in the opening 24 minutes with 12.