Final
James, Heat cruise past Suns
Nov 26, 2013 - 5:31 AMVideo
Dwyane Wade added 21 points with 12 assists -- his most in more than three years -- while Ray Allen scored nine of his 17 points in a fourth quarter that saw the Heat pull away for their seventh straight win.
Channing Frye led six Phoenix players in double figures with 16 points to go with eight rebounds, while Goran Dragic donated 14 points, nine assists and eight boards in a losing effort.
"They have so many weapons," Dragic said of the Heat. "They have a feeling they can do anything."
The Suns were coming off back-to-back road wins over Charlotte and Orlando, but a day after pulling out a 104-96 decision over the Magic, they didn't have the legs to stay with the defending champs.
The Heat closed out the overachieving club with a 15-2 run that bled into the fourth quarter, with James watching from the bench most of the way.
Michael Beasley, who was cut by the Suns in the offseason, threw down an alley-oop dunk on the first possession of the final frame to produce Miami's first double-digit lead of the contest at 81-71.
Allen connected from behind the arc on consecutive trips to push the lead to 87-73 with under 10 minutes remaining, and James sealed the victory with a 12- point effort in a three-minute span down the stretch.
"We had to work for this one," Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said. "They're a good, young basketball team."
Wade netted nine points in the first quarter and added a pair of alley-oop assists, the second a lob to Chris Andersen that gave Miami a 24-21 lead heading into the second quarter.
An Allen 3-point play midway through the second extended the Heat's lead to 38-29, but the Suns stayed close and evened things at 47-47 before James beat the halftime buzzer with a deep 3-pointer.
Game Notes
Miami is the only team in the NBA that has yet to suffer a double-digit loss ... Heat point guard Mario Chalmers did not play due to a strained hip flexor ... James made all 11 of his free throws ... The last time Wade handed out 12 assists came against the Nets on Mar. 22, 2010 ... The Suns went 8-of-32 from behind the arc. They had made 10-plus 3-pointers in each of their previous five games ... Suns point guard Eric Bledsoe missed his fifth straight game with a left shin contusion ... The Heat have won seven in a row over Phoenix.
Nov 25 10:00 PM- PHOENIX: 71
MIAMI: 79
End of 3rd
Nov 25 9:17 PM - PHOENIX: 47
MIAMI: 50
Halftime
Nov 25 8:42 PM - PHOENIX: 21
MIAMI: 24
End of 1st
Nov 25 8:07 PM - PHOENIX: 0
MIAMI: 0
1st Quarter - 11:36
Nov 25 7:43 PM
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