PHILADELPHIA — Dwyane Wade scored
30 points and made the big assist to Udonis Haslem for the go-ahead
basket with 1.3 seconds left, lifting the Miami Heat over the
Philadelphia 76ers 107-105 on Monday night.
Andre Iguodala tied it at 105 for the
Sixers on a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left. But the Heat, playing for
fifth place in the Eastern Conference, weren't about to go down against
one of the worst teams in the NBA.
Wade scored several clutch baskets
late in the fourth, but it was his drive-and-dish to Haslem in the
corner that was the difference. Haslem nailed the winner.
Iguodala fired a last-chance air ball
and the Sixers lost their home finale.
Quentin Richardson had 15 points and
12 rebounds for the Heat.
Wade was 12-of-19 from the floor and
showed no sign that his right wrist, which he hurt in a fall Sunday
against the Knicks, was bothering him. He scored on a pair of layups
that brought the Heat back from down nine to take the lead.
Iguodala missed two free throws with
2:41 left and the Sixers down two. He then threw a high pass on what
should have been an easy alley-oop to Samuel Dalembert.
Iguodala made up for those gaffes with
the tying 3, but couldn't win it. Jrue Holiday made the final inbounds
pass to Iguodala, but his falling 3 was nowhere near the rim.
Jason Kapono led the Sixers with a
season-high 24 points and Jodie Meeks had 21. Iguodala finished with 14
points and Holiday had a career-high 13 assists.
This was likely the last home game
for 76ers coach Eddie Jordan. His hire was panned by fans and media from
the day he arrived and there has been much speculation over the last
two months that he'll be fired once the season is over.
The Sixers tried to give the strong
crowd a win to remember in the finale. Kapono scored 22 points through
three quarters — he nailed consecutive 3s for a 69-60 lead — and was
finally the long-range threat Philadelphia needed all season.
Kapono and Meeks were sensational in
hitting shots from all over the court. Meeks made the most of meaningful
minutes, and all of a sudden two players who probably didn't warrant
serious consideration on the scouting report appeared poised to cost the
Heat a win.
Kapono and Meeks combined for 21
points in the third to help the Sixers take an 86-82 lead. Kapono made
his last nine shots of the game.
There was still enough evidence,
however, that these were the lowly Sixers. There was a botched alley-oop
that Dorell Wright turned into an easy layup. Iguodala missed a reverse
jam.
Meeks hit one more 3 early in the
fourth for a 91-84 lead. Then the Heat used a 10-3 run to tie the game.
Elton Brand, an $80 million
disappointment in his first two seasons in Philadelphia, hit a pair of
jumpers that put the Sixers ahead each time. Wade erased the small
deficit with a pair of layups that gave the Heat a 101-98 lead.
Wade looked healthy, but the Heat
played again without Jermaine O'Neal because of a sprained left ankle.
Notes
The 76ers offered $5 tickets
in selected seats to fans with a ticket stub from the Phillies opener
earlier in the day. That promotion, along with Fan Appreciation Night
giveaways like an iPad, led to a strong crowd of 17,401. … Iguodala
thanked the crowd for their support this season and said, with their
help, "the sky's the limit for us." … Wade warmed up by doing pull-ups
on the rim.