MIAMI -- There's something about LeBron James visiting Miami with the Cleveland Cavaliers that brings out the best in Dwyane Wade.
The Heat beat the Cavaliers for the ninth straight time at home, and the second time this season, with Wade the undisputed best player on the floor. His 32 points on 13-of-18 shooting led all scorers, and he chipped in two assists, two rebounds and a season-high five steals for good measure in the Heat's 106-92 victory Monday.
Call it a vintage performance, but consider: Wade has been on a tear since returning from a seven-game absence in early February after injuring his hamstring. He is now averaging 28.7 points in his past six games.
"I feel pretty good," he said. "I've felt good since I came back from the break. It just took me a lot longer than I wanted to to get my rhythm back. I finally got it back."
Wade wasn't just good. He was spectacular, especially in the first half, when he was practically unstoppable. Half of his points came in the second quarter, when he matched the entire Cavaliers team by scoring 16, and it was his efficiency (6-of-7 shooting, 4 for 4 from the line) that effectively set up the victory. He scored 14 points during the Heat's game-changing 19-5 run to end the first half.
"He has been in a good groove the last couple of weeks," James said. "He did it again. When his pull-up is going, then you can't do much with him. He even took one off the glass, so you knew he has a good groove. It was good to see him play with a bounce in his step for sure."
Wade mixed up his game with a blend of penetration and accuracy from the midrange area, where half of his total points came from.
"He's been playing great basketball, he really has," head coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Since he was able to get into rhythm, and he understands moments as much as anybody in this league, and what his basketball team needs, and it needed him to play with great force tonight, which he did, and guys really fed off of that. It was easy to play with confidence when your best player is leading you and playing the game like that."
The win marked Wade's fourth game of the season he's scored at least 30 points, and his second against the Cavaliers. Though he was unable to participate when the Heat visited Cleveland on Feb. 11, he also put together a strong game in their first matchup on Christmas Day in Miami. He had 24 points in the first half of that game and finished with 31 to lead his team to a 101-91 victory.
This time around, he turned in one of his strongest performances of the season at the most important time of the year.
"It was a great atmosphere with one of the greatest players to play the game," Wade said. "You always want to bring your best when you are going against the best. We needed it as a team, we needed this game. We had to win on our home floor, no matter who was coming in, we needed to win on this floor to be in the playoff race. We just all worked together."
You can follow Surya Fernandez on Twitter @SuryaHeatNBA or email him at SuryaFoxSports@gmail.com.
