The New York Times-20080127-Heat Edges the Pacers To End a 15-Game Slide

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Heat Edges the Pacers To End a 15-Game Slide

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Dwyane Wade saw Dorell Wright throw the ball in the air as time expired, then pumped a fist and pointed up.

He could finally feel some relief Saturday -- the Miami Heat's epic losing streak had finally ended.

Wade scored 35 points, Mark Blount added 10 of his 19 in the pivotal fourth quarter, and the Heat beat the visiting Indiana Pacers, 98-96, to end a 15-game losing streak -- the longest in the N.B.A. this season and the second longest in franchise history.

So what if Miami improved to only 9-33?

For the first time since Dec. 22, the Heat could leave a game happy.

Wright had 14 points and 10 rebounds, Udonis Haslem scored 12 points and Earl Barron added 10 for Miami, which got eight assists from Jason Williams.

Mike Dunleavy scored 25 points for Indiana, which has lost 13 of its last 17 games. Andre Owens and Danny Granger each scored 13 and Kareem Rush had 12 for the Pacers, who led by 9 points with 4 minutes 5 seconds left in the third quarter but could not finish off Miami.

Miami was leading, 94-85, after Wade's 3-pointer with 4:36 left, before Indiana went on a 9-2 run over the next three and a half minutes, a burst capped by Rush's 3-pointer with 1:07 remaining that pulled the Pacers to 96-94.

The Heat's lead was still 2 with 15.8 seconds left, after Haslem missed a jumper that could have made it a two-possession game. Rush missed an open 3-pointer from the top of the lane, but Troy Murphy threw the ball off Haslem on the way out of bounds with 5.8 seconds left -- giving Indiana another chance.

Wade knocked the inbounds pass away, and moments later, the skid came to an emphatic end.

We wanted it, Wade said.

GRIZZLIES 125, CLIPPERS 120 Rudy Gay scored a career-high 34 points and Memphis made its free throws down the stretch to beat visiting Los Angeles in overtime.

Mike Miller scored 27 points for the Grizzlies, who shot 53 percent and made 7 of 8 free throws in the final 21.2 seconds to maintain their lead.

Corey Maggette had a season-high 35 points to lead the Clippers; Sam Cassell finished with 25 and Tim Thomas scored 23, making 10 of his 13 shots before fouling out.

HORNETS 102, SPURS 78 David West scored 32 points and visiting New Orleans won its eighth game in a row.

Peja Stojakovic added 22 points, making four 3-pointers, and Chris Paul had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Hornets.

Tim Duncan and Tony Parker each scored 17 points for San Antonio, which has lost five games at home this season. The loss ended a three-game winning streak for the Spurs, who begin a nine-game trip Monday.

76ERS 103, BOBCATS 96 Andre Iguodala scored 33 points and Philadelphia recovered from a poor start to win at Charlotte and end a three-game losing streak.

The 76ers, who lost to the Knicks on Friday, rallied from an 11-point first-half deficit by controlling rebounds. Philadelphia had 17 offensive rebounds, and Iguodala, who went 13 of 21 from the field, finished a point shy of his career high.

AROUND THE LEAGUE Heat center Shaquille O'Neal said his sore left hip had not improved since he was shut down from basketball-related activity several days ago, and that he was not sure if the planned two-week break from playing would be enough time for the joint to heal. ... The Grizzlies and point guard Damon Stoudamire have reached a tentative agreement to put him on waivers Monday.

[Illustration]PHOTO: Dwyane Wade scoring 2 of his 35 points as the Heat ended the longest losing streak in the N.B.A. (PHOTOGRAPH BY WILFREDO LEE/ASSOCIATED PRESS)