Cavaliers 91 - 107 Heat
Final
  for this game

James, Wade lead Heat over Cavs

Feb 8, 2012 - 4:41 AM Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Dwyane Wade and LeBron James had 26 and 24 points, respectively, as the Miami Heat beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 107-91, at American Airlines Arena.

Chris Bosh added 15 points and nine rebounds for the Heat, who have won three in a row and eight of nine overall. Mario Chalmers and Udonis Haslem each had 14 points.

"We (the Miami Heat) just understand that no game is over until it is over," Wade said. "We know teams are going to fight against us because they have a lot of pride. We did a good job of really locking in defensively and turning up the engine."

Miami is off to its best 25-game start in franchise history with a 19-6 record. The previous best was 18-7 (three times).

Antawn Jamison ended with 25 points and nine boards for the Cavaliers, who have lost three of four. Alonzo Gee and Kyrie Irving tallied 17 and 16 points, respectively.

A tight first quarter featured six lead changes and four ties. James tallied 11 points for the Heat, who took a 28-25 lead into the second.

Ahead by four, 37-33, with 7:22 left until half, Miami went on a 6-0 spurt to create some distance. Wade's two free throws and layup made it a 43-33 contest.

But Cleveland ripped off six straight points later in the frame to pull within three, 51-48. Chalmers stopped the surge with a three-pointer to give the Heat a 54-48 margin at the break.

The Cavaliers started the second half on a 9-2 spurt to take a 57-56 lead.

Trailing by two, 67-65, with five minutes left, Miami closed out the third frame on a 13-5 run. Chalmers made two three-pointers during the burst, which James capped with a putback slam for a 78-72 lead.

"We had some crucial turnovers. They were just executing," Irving said. "They made their run. Closing out the third quarter and going into the fourth quarter, they had a lot of momentum."

Holding an 84-78 lead with 9:03 to play, the Heat scored the next eight points. Wade capped the spurt with a layup and jumper to give Miami a 92-78 margin.

The Cavaliers never got closer than seven the rest of the way.

Game Notes

Miami bested Cleveland in South Florida, 92-85, back on January 24. In 2010-11, Miami took three of four from the Cavs...The Heat have won six in a row at home...Miami will start a six-game road trip on Wednesday at Orlando... Cleveland guards Daniel Gibson (soft tissue infection in neck) and Anthony Parker (back) and forward Tristan Thompson (ankle) all missed the game.






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