Bobcats can’t handle the Heat

Dwyane Wade added 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, as the Heat won back-to-back games for the first time this season. Udonis Haslem had 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Alonzo Mourning added 16 points. Antoine Walker chipped in 12 points and nine boards, as the Heat dominated the Bobcats by holding a 56-28 advantage in rebounds.

The Heat let a 28-point fourth-quarter lead dip to seven before closing out the Bobcats.

"I thought that we defended well," Heat head coach Stan Van Gundy said. "We absolutely dominated the glass. All around it was a good performance. We got good minutes from everybody."

Walker came off the bench for his first non-start since May 5, 1999 when he played for Boston.

"Everybody got an opportunity to shoot and get into the flow," Wade said. "It was probably our best team effort of the year."

Sean May had 18 points to lead Charlotte, which has lost four in a row. Kareem Rush added 15 points, while Kevin Burleson and Primoz Brezec scored 11 apiece.

Miami scored the game’s first four points and held a 35-27 lead after one quarter. The Heat used a 10-1 run to extend to a 45-33 advantage. Walker hit a pair of three-pointers during the spurt, including one that ended it with 8:09 left until halftime.

Miami led 57-43 at the intermission and was in front 88-62 going into the fourth quarter. The Heat’s last 28-point lead came at 100-72 on Jason Kapono’s jumper with 6:12 remaining.

Charlotte scored 17 straight points to cut its deficit to 104-97 with 30 seconds left on a reverse layup by Bernard Robinson, but Gary Payton and Williams each hit two free throws to stop the rally.

Game Notes

Miami is 4-1 all-time against the Bobcats...The Heat shot 56.8 percent from the field, compared to 39.1 percent for Charlotte...Williams was 4-of-6 on three-pointers, as the Heat made 9-of-19 shots from beyond the arc.