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Wade outduels Iverson as Heat top Sixers

Nov 28, 2006 - 3:25 AM MIAMI (Ticker) -- The personal duel between Dwyane Wade and Allen Iverson kept the fans entertained at the AmericanAirlines Arena. Fortunately for the Miami Heat, Wade had a little bit more help.

Wade had 33 points and 13 assists and four other players scored in double figures as the Heat posted a 103-91 victory over the scuffling Philadelphia 76ers.

Udonis Haslem had 16 points and 10 rebounds and Alonzo Mourning added 14 points and seven blocks for Miami (6-8), which shot a season-best 59 percent (37-of-63) and has won two straight after losing six of seven.

"That's three games in a row now we've been pretty efficient offensively," Miami coach Pat Riley said. "It was a good win for us and it really doesn't make any difference who is doing it as long as somebody is doing it. Tapping into depth over the next couple of weeks is going to be important as to how we develop a rotation."

Iverson finished with 45 points on 17-of-37 shooting, but Andre Iguodala with 15 points was the only other Sixer in double figures. Iverson scored 16 points in the first quarter as Philadelphia forged an early 31-20 lead.

"When he had 16 points in the first quarter I was thinking, 'Oh lord, it's going to be a long night,'" Miami forward Dorell Wright said. "The big thing is we got the win. I don't care how many points he had, we got the win. Hopefully, we can keep this streak going."

In his previous two games, Iverson poured in 77 points, including a season-high 46 against Chicago on Friday.

It was the third straight game in which Wade, the 2006 NBA Finals MVP, had at least 30 points and 12 assists, becoming the first player since Kevin Johnson of the 1989 Phoenix Suns to accomplish the feat.

"(In 1989) I was watching the Chicago Bulls. I was seven years old," Wade said. "I've just been keeping the game at our pace. That's one thing me and Coach (Riley) has been talking about playing point guard; keep the game at our pace and I'll see a lot of minutes. ... It just opens up my offensive game more and more. I'll take that every night."

In his previous two games, Wade scored 68 points, dished out 27 assists and shot 42 free throws.

"He has a very high basketball IQ," Riley said. "He has an incredible awareness of tempo, the clock and where everybody is. Some guys have a blueprint of the playbook in their mind.

"I can remember (with the Lakers) Michael Cooper and Magic Johnson. They knew where every guy on every play was supposed to go. I could play those guys at the one through five spots and they could run the offense. I think Dwyane is the same way."

Wade, who finished 10-of-18 from the floor and 13-of-14 from the line, set a team record by leading the Heat in scoring for the 11th straight time. He was tied with Sherman Douglas, who did it during the 1991-92 season.

"My main thing was to be aggressive on both ends to try and keep my team in the game until we can get some defensive stops," Wade said. "I'm not trying to match baskets with that guy (Iverson) at all. Just trying to stay afloat."

"Wade was phenomenal," Philadelphia coach Maurice Cheeks said. "I thought him getting in the middle of our defense and finding shots for guys like (Jason) Kapono and Antoine Walker ... was huge for them."

Kapono finished with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting and Walker finished with seven.

Gary Payton, who had scored just nine points on 4-of-28 shooting in his last five games, finished with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting for the Heat, who were beaten off the offensive boards, 19-5, and committed 21 turnovers to just 15 by the Sixers.

Starting big men Shavlik Randolph and Samuel Dalembert combined for just two points on 1-of-14 shooting for Philadelphia (5-9), which shot 37 percent (36-of-97) in losing for the ninth time in 11 games.

"It's one of the things we've been talking about, we get out to a nice start and once again we didn't sustain it," Cheeks said. "In the early going we were pushing the ball and Allen obviously got the hot hand. It helped us a great deal."

Iverson scored 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting in the first half, while Wade tallied 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, five rebounds and four assists. Miami had just one lead - 45-44 - in the first 24 minutes.

On a night where both clubs were playing their fifth game in seven days, the Heat took the lead for good, 62-61, halfway through the third quarter on a thunderous dunk by Wade and used a 9-3 run late in the quarter to take a 74-65 lead. Wade scored four points and made a nifty feed to Haslem for a reverse layup to cap the run.

"You try to work on schemes to try and stop him and make other people beat you, but he is relentless," Sixers reserve guard Willie Green said. "He'll keep coming at you. He finds a way.

Iverson came back and closed out the period driving the lane and converting a three-point play.

Wade's 10th assist off a drive to the basket led to a three-point play for Mourning and an 86-75 lead with 8:45 left.