Miami Heat Team Report - November 29

(Basketball News) - Dwyane Wade had 25 points and nine assists, while Shaquille O’Neal had a perfect night from the floor, and the Miami Heat staved off a late Boston charge to earn a 106-104 victory on Sunday at AmericanAirlines Arena.

O’Neal made all nine of his field-goal attempts in a 21-point, 13-rebound effort for the Heat, who have won two of their last three. Damon Jones provided a huge lift off the bench, as he finished with 16 points and hit several big shots in the fourth quarter.

The Celtics fought back from a 13-point third-quarter deficit to tie the game at 93-93 on two Ricky Davis free throws with 6:11 left to play, but Miami responded with an 8-0 run to take command. After Jones buried a three-pointer with 5:13 remaining for a five-point cushion, Udonis Haslem was fouled after putting in a layup on the next trip down the court. He made the subsequent free throw for a 101-93 lead with 4 1/2 minutes left.

Boston slowly crawled back and cut its deficit to two points when Paul Pierce sank a pair of foul shots with 1:05 to play for a 105-103 game. Miami then failed to score on two straight possessions, and Pierce drove the lane and was fouled with five seconds to go, giving the Celtics a chance to force overtime. Pierce missed the first attempt from the charity stripe before making the second. Miami’s Christian Laettner was then fouled with three seconds and hit one of the two bonus shots for a two-point edge. Boston had one final chance, but Davis’ baseline jumper at the buzzer missed its mark.

Miami improved to 9-1 this season against Eastern Conference opponents and 6-2 at home.

Wade has averaged 22.6 points and 8.4 assists in his last five games.

The Heat are off until Tuesday when they host the Toronto Raptors. Last season, Miami won two of three contests between the two squads.