WASHINGTON -- Dwyane Wade had 19 points, 10 assists and six rebounds Tuesday night, and the Miami Heat caught a couple of breaks in the final minutes to beat the struggling Washington Wizards 94-87.
Wade, who played despite rolling his ankle in a loss at Toronto on Sunday, led six players in double figures as the Heat beat the Wizards for the second time in five days and celebrated a rare road victory. Miami entered the game 4-1 at home and 1-4 on the road.
The Wizards' attack was much less diverse as the team sank to 1-7, the franchise's worst start since 1999. Antawn Jamison (25) and Caron Butler (21) had 46 of the 59 points scored by the five starters. Nick Young added 12 points off the bench.
The Wizards cut a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to three on Jamison's putback with 2:04 to play and would have tied the game had Jamison hit a 3-point attempt on their next possession. Instead, the Heat rebounded and got lucky at the other end when Wade's pass, broken up by Butler, ended up in the hands of Shawn Marion, who put in the garbage basket to restore the five-point lead.
The Wizards tried to make up ground, but rookie JaVale McGee was the victim of a no-call as he was hit broadside in the body while driving to the basket with 40 seconds to play. Then Young committed a turnover with a bad pass, essentially ending Washington's comeback chances.
Before the game, coach Eddie Jordan said of his Wizards: "We don't have rhythm, we don't have harmony, we're trying to incorporate chemistry." What he really needs is some wins to restore some confidence, but at least the effort was better than in the 20-point loss at Miami on Friday. Full story
Mavericks 100, Bobcats 83
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Dirk Nowitzki scored 32 points, Josh Howard added 21 and the Dallas Mavericks never trailed, delighting owner Mark Cuban a day after he was charged with insider trading.
With Cuban sitting along the baseline and as animated as usual, the Mavericks toyed with the lifeless, undermanned Bobcats in their second straight win.
A career-high 21 points from rookie D.J. Augustin was nowhere near enough for Charlotte, which fell behind 15-0 while playing again without top scorer Jason Richardson (knee). The Bobcats didn't score until nearly seven minutes had elapsed in a woeful performance that kept them winless all-time against Dallas.
With Nowitzki dominating the inside and adding nine rebounds, the Mavericks led by as many as 23 in a rare blowout after a horrible start to the season, made worse when their boisterous owner suddenly faced legal trouble.
Lakers 116, Bulls 109
LOS ANGELES -- Losing a game didn't sit well with the Los Angeles Lakers. They took out their anger on the Chicago Bulls.
Pau Gasol scored 24 of his season-high 34 points in the first half, and the Lakers rebounded from their first setback of the season. His previous season high was 22 points.
Kobe Bryant added 21 points, five rebounds and six assists and Andrew Bynum had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers (8-1), who had three full days to contemplate a 106-95 loss to the Detroit Pistons.
Derrick Rose led Chicago (5-6) with 25 points and nine assists. Ben Gordon added 23 points and Aaron Gray had 11 for the Bulls, who are winless in four road games.
Pacers 113, Hawks 96
INDIANAPOLIS -- Danny Granger scored 34 points to lead the Pacers past the slumping Hawks.
Rasho Nesterovic scored 21 points, Jeff Foster had 12 and Troy Murphy added 10 points and 19 rebounds for the Pacers (5-5), who won their fifth consecutive home game against Atlanta.
Joe Johnson finished with 25 points, Marvin Williams scored 14 and Mike Bibby and Maurice Evans each scored 13 for the Hawks (6-4). After a 6-0 start, Atlanta has lost four straight.
The Pacers, who led 32-25 to end the first quarter, opened a 61-46 advantage on Nesterovic's three-point play with 51 seconds left in the half. Indiana shot 58 percent from the field and was led by Granger's 17 points.
Grizzlies 109, Kings 94
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Rudy Gay scored 22 points and Memphis shot a season-high 54 percent to help the Grizzlies snap a four-game losing streak.
Hakim Warrick added 21 points and 10 rebounds and Marc Gasol scored 16.
Memphis shot above 60 percent for the better part of the game, and built its double-digit lead in the second quarter. The Kings never threatened after halftime, dropping their fourth game out of the past five. Memphis also dominated the boards, outrebounding Sacramento 46-33.
John Salmons led the Kings with 18 points, while Spencer Hawes scored 14, hitting all seven of his shots. Bobby Jackson had 13 for the Kings, and rookie forward Jason Thompson scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
