LOS ANGELES, 15 December 2004 — When Miami’s Dwyane Wade sprained his ankle, teammate Shaquille O’Neal turned up his game. O’Neal muscled in for a season-high 40 points, and the Heat overcame the loss of Wade, for a 106-83 victory over the visiting Washington Wizards yesterday - their fifth straight victory.
“Shaq was fabulous tonight,” Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said. “We got him the ball, and he delivered.”
Wade left the game with a mild left ankle sprain, following a steal with just over three minutes left in the second quarter, and the Heat ahead by 12.
“My ankle went one way and my body went another,” Wade said. “It was more of a precaution. The best thing was for me to rest.”
Wade did not return for the second half, but the Heat didn’t need the second-year guard or his team-leading 24 points per game as O’Neal put on a vintage show.
“’Flash’ told me that he wanted me to get 40 or 50 points,” said O’Neal, who gave the nickname to Wade. “I told him I would take care of him.”
O’Neal lived up to his promise. In his first season with Miami, the 7-foot-1, 325-pound O’Neal has dominated inside. “The Diesel” hit 15-of-23 field goals, including nine dunks, made 10-of-16 free throws, to go along with 12 rebounds and five blocks, to reach the 40-point plateau for the 48th time in his storied career.
“They were not doubling me tonight, and I was really aggressive,” said O’Neal, who had 15 fourth-quarter points. “I told my teammates that I wanted it tonight. We were short one guy, and I told Flash that I had his back.”
Said Wade: “I’m just happy and excited for Shaq to come out and play a dominant game like he said he would.” Rasual Butler scored 16 points, Eddie Jones, 14, and Damon Jones added 12 and nine assists for Miami, (16-7), which sits atop the Eastern Conference. Gilbert Arenas tallied 18 points and Kwame Brown added 16 off the bench for Washington, (12-7), off to its best start in 30 years, but 0-3 against Miami this season.
“There is no game plan against Shaq,” Brown said. “Anybody who tries to tell you that is crazy. If you give him any ground, then it’s a dunk”. The Wizards’ “Big Three” of Arenas, Antawn Jamison, and Larry Hughes, averaging 63 points per game, were held to just 42, on 15-of- 57 shooting.
Phoenix Suns 121 Orlando Magic 100
Quentin Richardson scored 26 points, including six 3-pointers, and Brazilian backup guard Leandro Barbosa added a season-high 19, as the sizzling Suns continued their best start.
Barbosa replaced foul-plagued Steve Nash and kept the Suns’ upbeat offence in high gear en route to their fifth straight win and a league-best 18-3 record.
Phoenix also received 21 points from Amare Stoudemire while Shawn Marion chipped in with 19 points and 10 rebounds Grant Hill scored 23 points, Steve Francis 18 and rookie Dwight Howard pulled down 18 rebounds as Orlando suffered its second loss in as many nights after falling to the L.A. Lakers on Sunday.
Cleveland Cavaliers 92 Memphis Grizzlies 86
LeBron James collected 31-points along with eight assists and seven steals as the visiting Cavaliers tamed the Grizzlies.
Jeff McInniss added 18 points as Central Division leading Cleveland (13-8) snapped a modest two-game slide. Spaniard Pau Gasol led Memphis with 19 points, while Lorenzen Wright chipped in with 16 and 10 rebounds.
Dallas Mavericks 94 Chicago Bulls 93
Michael Finley hit the game-winning jumper with 3.2 seconds to cap a 27-point effort, giving the Mavericks their fourth straight road win.
The Bulls had a final shot to pull out the victory but Kirk Hinrich, who had 12 points and nine assists, missed a 15-foot jumper at the buzzer. Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki finished with 21 points - six below his league-best average - on an icy four-of-18 shooting.
Boston Celtics 134 L.A. Clippers 127 (OT)
Ricky Davis scored 28 of his season-high 34 points in the fourth quarter and overtimes, helping the Celtics overcome a late 12-point deficit. Paul Pierce tallied 33 points before fouling out with 3 minutes left in regulation as Boston rallied to finish 2-3 on its road trip.
Davis had seven points and Gary Payton added six of his 15 in the second extra session, including the go-ahead layup with 35 seconds left in a 7-0 closing run. Corey Maggette scored a career-high 38 points, while Elton Brand added 24 and 18 rebounds for the Clippers.
Meantime, Brent Wright, a University of Florida standout now playing professional basketball in Latvia, wants to become a citizen so he can play for the Baltic state’s national team. In an interview published Tuesday by Latvijas Avize, the 2.03-meter (6-feet-8) guard for Ventspils said he wanted citizenship because it could also make it easier for him to transfer to another team in the European Union.
“Yes, I think I will stay with Ventspils for another two seasons and get the Latvian citizenship in order to play in the national team,” Wright was quoted by the newspaper.
