LeBron James received a standing ovation from the Heat faithful during pregame announcements, much better than what he received when returning to Cleveland 4 years ago. Once the game started, the Heat did not give James a warm welcome, in a 101-91 win for Miami over the Cavaliers.
Dwayne Wade scored 31 points, 24 of which came in the 1st half, while Luol Deng added 25 in the Miami victory. "King James", who turns 30 on Tuesday, scored 30 points and had 8 assists in a losing effort. It was the 7th meeting between Wade and James that both scored at least 30 points.
James had a couple of breakaway dunks, including a technical foul for hanging on the rim following the first dunk. Wade answered by slamming home a rebound over the back of James' teammate Kevin Love.
Love had 14 points on the night for the Cavs, while Kyrie Irving added 25.
Deng had 8 points and 8 assists in the 4th quarter for the Heat, who lead by as many as 17, trailed for a moment, but pulled away in the end. Chris Anderson added 12 for a Miami team that was without Chris Bosh due to a calf injury. Wade struggled in the second half, shooting just 2-for-12, while Mario Chalmers was 2-for-12 for the game.
The Heat still sit 2 games under .500 at 14-16, and will host a very good Memphis Grizzlies team tomorrow night. Meanwhile, the Cavs sit at 17-11 and will have a quick turnaround when they visit the Orlando Magic tonight.
Dwayne Wade scored 31 points, 24 of which came in the 1st half, while Luol Deng added 25 in the Miami victory. "King James", who turns 30 on Tuesday, scored 30 points and had 8 assists in a losing effort. It was the 7th meeting between Wade and James that both scored at least 30 points.
James had a couple of breakaway dunks, including a technical foul for hanging on the rim following the first dunk. Wade answered by slamming home a rebound over the back of James' teammate Kevin Love.
Love had 14 points on the night for the Cavs, while Kyrie Irving added 25.
Deng had 8 points and 8 assists in the 4th quarter for the Heat, who lead by as many as 17, trailed for a moment, but pulled away in the end. Chris Anderson added 12 for a Miami team that was without Chris Bosh due to a calf injury. Wade struggled in the second half, shooting just 2-for-12, while Mario Chalmers was 2-for-12 for the game.
The Heat still sit 2 games under .500 at 14-16, and will host a very good Memphis Grizzlies team tomorrow night. Meanwhile, the Cavs sit at 17-11 and will have a quick turnaround when they visit the Orlando Magic tonight.