Heat rookie Wade burns up Pacers
MIAMI -- Rookie guard Dwyane Wade sliced down the lane, took a pass from Lamar Odom and dunked over Jermaine O'Neal -- one of the league's best defenders.
Nothing the Heat do at home should be surprising anymore.
Wade scored 25 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, and the Heat beat Indiana 94-87 Monday night, handing the Pacers their first loss of the postseason.
Odom added 16 points and nine rebounds as the Heat extended their home winning streak to 17 games. They trail the best-of-seven series 2-1.
Game 4 is Wednesday night in Miami, where the Heat haven't lost since March 2.
''Our guys really feed off the electricity and energy in this building,'' Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said. ''They not only feed off the fans, but they want to perform for them. If I could bottle it up and take it on the road with us I would.''
The home-court edge helped Miami beat the Pacers for the first time in 12 tries.
''They finally came to play,'' said Pacers forward Ron Artest, held to 14 points after scoring 45 in the first two games. ''Now we've got to come to play.''
The Pacers kept the game close thanks to nine 3-pointers, including four in the fourth quarter.
The Heat used a 7-0 run to take a 79-72 lead with 2:55 to play. Wade hit a pull-up jumper at the foul line, then dunked over O'Neal on the next possession.
''Dwyane has very little fear for a rookie,'' Van Gundy said.
Caron Butler hit two free throws, and Odom added another to cap the run. Miami got plenty of help from the Pacers, who made just one of their first 11 shots in the fourth quarter.
Indiana went without a field goal until the 6:20 mark of the period. The Pacers made just one more field goal until the final minute of the game.
''We slipped a little tonight and they took advantage,'' Pacers forward Jonathan Bender said. ''Obviously when they get home they have more confidence. They got into it and they came out strong. Now we have to make this our house, play like we're at home.''
Timberwolves 114, Kings 113, OT
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- When Kevin Garnett's MVP mettle was tested, The Kid played like a man.
Garnett scored 15 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, including a fallaway jumper to beat the shot clock with 10.9 seconds left in the Minnesota Timberwolves' 114-113 victory over the Kings in Game 3 of their second-round playoff series Monday night.
With several clutch baskets, Garnett saved Minnesota from a disheartening loss and reclaimed home-court advantage in the series. When Peja Stojakovic's final shot fell short, Garnett also led the Timberwolves' joyous charge off the court, while Sacramento fans threw dozens of giveaway plastic rattles on the court to protest the lack of a foul.
With their third win this season at Arco Arena, the Timberwolves took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 4 is Wednesday night in Sacramento, where the Kings lost for just the second time in 10 playoff games.
Led by a sensational finish for Stojakovic, who scored 22 of his 29 points after the third quarter, the Kings erased a 14-point deficit in the final four minutes of regulation, then forced OT by swarming Garnett at the buzzer. The comeback even bested Minnesota's rally from a 10-point deficit in Game 2.
Stojakovic traded scores with Garnett in an unbearably tense overtime. But after Latrell Sprewell hit a jumper with 59 seconds left to claim a one-point lead for Minnesota, Chris Webber made a turnover. Minnesota nearly ran out of time for a shot, but Garnett jumped backward and dropped a difficult jumper.
Stojakovic hit two free throws with 6.1 seconds left, and Garnett was called for traveling two seconds later. Sacramento got the ball to Stojakovic, but he failed to draw a foul from Trenton Hassell on an awkward jumper shortly before time expired.
''We knew they would go to him,'' Hassell said. ''He jumped into me. You don't want to foul a jump shooter.''
Extra time is nothing new to these clubs: Earlier in the season, the teams set an NBA record with their fourth consecutive overtime game. Garnett also grabbed 15 rebounds, while Sprewell had 25 points and nine rebounds. Fred Hoiberg hit four 3-pointers, and Hassell scored 16 points.
Garnett was outstanding after halftime, taking control with more authority than he showed in the series' first two games. He scored five points to begin Minnesota's 10-0 run late in the third quarter, and he hit two more jumpers during an 11-4 run in the fourth.
Doug Christie had 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Kings, and Mike Bibby scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter before fouling out in overtime. Webber had 17 points on 6-of-16 shooting, and he didn't score in OT.
Until the final minutes of regulation, Sacramento seemed headed to an embarrassing home loss. Shooting poorly and making 15 turnovers, the Kings fell behind 98-84 when Mark Madsen dunked over two Kings with 4:14 to play.
But Bibby and Stojakovic suddenly awoke and the Kings finished regulation with a 20-6 run. Former Kings guard Darrick Martin made three of his four free throws in the final seconds, including two with 17.2 seconds left. But Stojakovic tied it with his second 3-pointer of the final moments from the wing with 10.7 seconds to play.
The game was a thrilling duel between All-Stars. Sacramento went up by a point on another 3-pointer by Stojakovic with 1:46 left, but Garnett made two free throws.
Stojakovic followed with a layup, but missed a free throw. His streak of 66 consecutive free throws had been snapped in the first quarter.
Notes: Game 2 hero Sam Cassell had just nine points before fouling out with 1:26 left in regulation. ... Sacramento's Anthony Peeler hit two long jumpers in the first half, but stepped on the line both times, negating possible 3-pointers. ... Cubs 1B Derrek Lee, a Sacramento native, cheered loudly for the Kings while attending the game with his family. Chicago opens a road trip in Los Angeles on Tuesday.