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Wade's buzzer-beater lifts Heat over Bulls

Mar 10, 2009 - 4:59 AM MIAMI (Ticker) -- Dwyane Wade stole the ball and knocked down a running 3-pointer as time expired to give the Miami Heat a 130-127 win over the Chicago Bulls in double overtime on Monday.

Wade finished with 48 points on 15-of-21 shooting and added 12 assists and four steals for the Heat, who forced 22 turnovers.

"If Mr. Dwyane Tyrone Wade is not legitimately considered as an MVP candidate then I don't know what he needs to do," Miami coach Eric Spoelstra said. "We're going to be a playoff contender and night after night he's making incredible plays, like this one tonight. That last play is kind of the epitome of the season he is having right now."

The Bulls had the ball with 11 seconds left and the score tied, 127-127, in the second overtime. They worked the ball to John Salmons at the top of the key, where Wade was waiting.

"I tried to go with five or six seconds on the clock," Salmons said. "I made a move and Dwyane just came out of nowhere and read it well. He got the steal and made the shot. It was a great play."

With three seconds left, Wade swiped the ball and raced up court, rising up behind the 3-point line and launching the game-winner as time expired.

"You never know until it goes in, but I was 99.9 percent sure," Wade said of the shot.

Ben Gordon nearly equaled Wade on the offensive end, finishing with 43 points for Chicago, which has dropped six in a row on the road.

"(Gordon) is sensational," Spoelstra said. "He has such an incredible determination. He never seems like he fatigues. He was about as on fire as I've seen anyone in this building."

"That was probably the toughest loss," Gordon said. "Both teams just kept giving each other chances to get back in the game. Whoever made the last, best play was going to win the game."

Miami held an 84-74 lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but a 10-3 run pulled the Bulls within 87-84 with 8:11 left in the game.

Wade helped extend it back to 96-91 with three straight baskets, but Gordon gave Chicago its first lead of the quarter with four straight 3-pointers during a 12-3 run that made it 103-99 with 1:51 left.

Mario Chalmers hit a layup and Gordon split a pair of free throws before Miami took the ball out of bounds with 20 seconds left and worked it around to Wade. The superstar guard got off a 3-pointer from the left wing and knocked it down to force overtime.

"He is just a great player," Chicago coach Vinny Del Negro said of Wade. "We trapped him, and showed on him, zoned him and blitzed. I mean we did everything, but he can just get away from your traps and picks up such great explosion. He is just attacking the rim all the time and it is just hard to get to him but he just made big play after big play. And that's why he is a superstar in the league."

Chicago scored five points in the final 20 seconds of the first overtime to force a 117-117 tie. Wade had a chance to give the Heat the win but missed a reverse layup at the buzzer.

"My teammates put the ball in my hand a lot to come through," Wade said. "I failed them at one point in the game. I wasn't going to fail them at another.

"It was an unbelievable game. They made it a battle. To end it the way it ended, I really couldn't draw it up or script it a better way."