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Wade-less Heat still searching for a win

Nov 4, 2007 - 2:31 PM Charlotte (1-0) at Miami (0-2) 6:00 pm EDT

MIAMI (Ticker) -- The Miami Heat have not won a game in a very long time. They will try to fix that when they host the Charlotte Bobcats on Sunday.

The Heat lost their last two regular-season games in the 2006-07 campaign, were swept out of the playoffs in the first round by Chicago, dropped all seven of their preseason contests and have lost the first two games of this season. All told, Miami has dropped 15 games in a row.

A year and a half removed from winning the NBA championship, Miami is struggling to score points without All-Star guard Dwyane Wade, who remains out after offseason surgery on his shoulder.

Heat coach Pat Riley said on Friday that Wade had been cleared to play, but offered no timetable on his potential return.

With Wade sidelined, Shaquille O'Neal has yet to reach double figures in scoring this season, tallying just nine points in the opener against Detroit and eight in 28 minutes against Indiana on Friday.

The Bobcats, meanwhile, had four players score at least 17 points in Friday's season-opening win against Milwaukee, including 26 from Raymond Felton. The third-year point guard, who also dished out 12 assists, sealed the 102-99 victory with a pair of free throws in the final second.

Charlotte's two biggest offseason moves also paid dividends in the win as Gerald Wallace, who was signed to an extension over the summer, scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while Jason Richardson, who was acquired in a draft-day trade with Golden State, netted 21.

The Bobcats split the season series with the Heat last season.