Heat Check: Dwyane Wade dazzles to lead Miami's dominant outing
MIAMI -- LeBron James' return to AmericanAirlines Arena grabbed all the headlines leading up to his second return to Miami.
But it was Dwyane Wade's brilliance that ensured the Miami Heat would walk away the winners, leading the way to a convincing 106-92 victory against the Cavaliers on Monday night.
Miami started the game firing on all cylinders and shooting well. James alternated between looking tentative and trying to do too much on offense, often finding himself out of control on drives to the basket, which led to turnovers and fast-break opportunities for Miami.
Between Wade's hot shooting, Goran Dragic's penetration and Mario Chalmers' aggressive play, the Heat's backcourt shared the ball and facilitated for others but played within the flow of the game. The three guards combined for 68 points, 14 assists and eight steals.
"When we share the ball, we're a whole different team," said Hassan Whiteside, who recorded his 16th double-double of the season with 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. "We had 20-plus assists and when we move the ball like that with low turnovers, I feel that we can beat anybody. We are a whole different team when the guys share the ball like that."
The Cavaliers never really got going and struggled from the field, especially from long range. James and Kyrie Irving (21 points, six assists) were often the only true threats, but even though Irving scored 10 points in the third quarter, the Heat ran up their lead to 25 points in the same quarter and were never threatened thereafter.
Miami's perimeter defenders did well to disrupt the passing lanes, with excellent help coverage along with Whiteside and Chris Andersen able to protect the paint without getting into foul trouble. James was frustrated with wave after wave of Heat defenders smothering him whenever he tried to penetrate.
With the victory, the Heat moved back up into the eighth spot in the East.
"We played well," said Luol Deng, whose defense against James was one of the keys to the victory. "We are capable of games like that. We have to come with that kind of urgency every game. It was a special game for a lot of guys in this locker room. But in the situation that we are in, every game should be like that."
THE TURNING POINT
With a 37-33 lead midway through the second quarter, the Heat scored 13 consecutive points as part of a 19-5 run to enter halftime with an 18-point lead.
THE DIFFERENCE MAKER
Wade had already reached his season average by halftime with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting. He was unstoppable to close the second quarter, hitting six straight shots to lead the Heat's run that broke open the game. He finished with a game-high 32 points.
"He shot the ball great," Deng said. "Tonight he had it going."
STAT OF THE GAME
Miami held Cleveland to less then 38 percent shooting in each of the first three quarters.
WHAT'S NEXT
Miami hosts the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
You can follow Surya Fernandez on Twitter @SuryaHeatNBA or email him at SuryaFoxSports@gmail.com.
