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Gay's buzzer-beater lifts Grizzlies over Heat

Nov 21, 2010 - 7:15 AM Memphis, TN (Sports Network) - Rudy Gay hit a jump shot over LeBron James at the buzzer to lift the Memphis Grizzlies to a 97-95 victory over the Miami Heat.

Zach Randolph had 21 points off the bench and Gay added 15 as Memphis snapped a five-game losing streak.

"We've got to build on this. (Miami) is one of the best teams in the East," Randolph said. "We should build on this and know we can beat anybody as long as we play defense."

James' fast-break dunk tied the game for Miami with 5.5 second left, but he was unable to stop Gay after a timeout, snapping the Heat's a three-game winning streak.

James had game-highs with 29 points and 11 assists, while Chris Bosh and Eddie House added 20 points apiece in the loss. Bosh also had 10 rebounds.

Miami played without star guard Dwyane Wade, who was inactive because of an injured left wrist the team said he suffered during Friday night's win over Charlotte.

"It's a tough loss," said Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra. "You have a chance with three minutes to go to close them out. We had a chance to close it out with a defensive stop and a rebound and couldn't quite get there."

Jerry Stackhouse started in his place and scored just two points in 19 1/2 minutes of court time.

Wade's absence left Miami's other two stars -- James and Bosh -- to pick up the slack.

Besides combining for 49 points, they had two key baskets near the end of the game to help the Heat climb back from a 95-90 hole with less than 39 seconds remaining.

First, Bosh banked in a three-pointer from the left side to draw Miami within two points. House stole the ball on the ensuing Memphis possession and found James on the right side for the easy game-tying dunk.

But James found himself on the wrong end of the winning shot.

Gay dribbled to the right side and pulled up near the baseline, pushing his jumper over the outstretched hand of James, who had him guarded well all the way.

The running shot carried Gay all the way to the sideline, where he celebrated after it went in.

"I just tried to do something with it," said Gay, who made only five of his 13 shots in the game.

Gay added eight rebounds and two assists, but also turned the ball over four times -- the last coming when he was robbed by House in the final minute.

Memphis controlled the game early and led by as many as 11 points in the first quarter on the way to a 26-17 advantage at the buzzer. Miami tied the game on a James three-pointer about four minutes into the second quarter but never took the lead, heading to the locker room down 43-39.

The Heat took a slim lead on a couple of James free throws midway through the third quarter, and the teams battled back-and-forth to a 68-68 deadlock heading into the fourth.

Game Notes

Heat forward Udonis Haslem left the game with a sprained left foot and will be evaluated in Miami, the team said.