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Wade, Heat survive late charge by shorthanded Pacers

Jan 19, 2007 - 4:36 AM MIAMI (Ticker) -- Superstar Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat had to sweat it out.

Wade had 33 points and eight assists as the Heat survived a late surge for a 104-101 victory over the undermanned Indiana Pacers, who dropped their third straight game.

Jason Williams collected 20 points and eight assists and Alonzo Mourning scored 14 points for Miami, which has won five of six games since a season-high five-game slide.

The Pacers were a little light in the lineup due largely to Wednesday's huge eight-player trade with the Golden State Warriors.

Indiana sent Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson, Josh Powell and Sarunas Jasikevicius to the Warriors in exchange for Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Ike Diogu and Keith McLeod.

In the fourth quarter, the Heat pushed their advantage to 89-73 as Antoine Walker scored on a layup and Jason Kapono drained a 20-footer with 9:21 left.

But Indiana stormed back behind a 21-9 burst, cutting the deficit to 102-101 when Danny Granger found rookie Shawne Williams for a 3-pointer with 13 seconds remaining.

"They just didn't go away," Miami interim coach Ron Rothstein said. "They did a great job against us, for whatever reason."

Jeff Foster scored 12 of his season-high 14 points during the late run, including back-to-back three-point plays.

"He (Foster) was big, really big," said Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds. "He was clutch in the paint for us finishing those plays down the stretch."

Wade's floater nine seconds later made it a three-point contest, giving the Pacers one last chance to tie the game. But Granger misfired from the arc on their final possession.

"They are a team that's never going to quit," said Wade, who had four steals. "They made a run at us at the end but we got the win and that's what counts."

"I thought I got off a pretty decent shot, but it just didn't go in," Granger said.

Granger scored a career-high 28 points and Marquis Daniels chipped in a season-best 23 for the Pacers, who shot 49 percent (40-of-81) from the floor.

"I felt comfortable out there and had some good looks," said Granger, who shot 9-of-15. "It's good to be out there and have the opportunity to play a role."

"He (Granger) showed he's ready to step it up," Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. "That was a big time effort."

Miami opened the third quarter with an impressive 13-3 surge to grab a 68-52 advantage with 8:06 to play. Wade and Williams combined to score 12 points in the run.

"We shot unbelievable in that stretch," Wade said. "That's one of the things that's been carrying us is our shooting. We really started to pick it up on the road and kind of kept it going."

O'Neal is eager to see how Indiana fares once the new players join the team.

"They bring a lot to the team," O'Neal said. "They are good shooters and have a good court presence. I'm really excited about the opportunity to play with those guys.

"They can run the court and make things happen," O'Neal added. "I've seen them all play, they all bring something positive. I'm looking forward to seeing how they impact our team."