Fighting off the flu, Dwyane Wade scored 11 for the Heat, who led by as many as 21 in the second quarter but found themselves down 82-80 after Stephen Jackson's 3-pointer with 4:56 remaining.

James hit a short jumper from the lane to put Miami up again, and Bosh made four straight free throws to give the Heat a 90-85 edge with 1:07 left. Udonis Haslem drew a charge on the next possession, fouling Gerald Wallace out of the game on the play.

Jackson finished with 30 points for Charlotte, which got 12 from Nazr Mohammed and 10 from Shaun Livingston.

Wade's availability wasn't even certain until about 45 minutes before the game. He missed the morning shootaround while seeing a doctor because of flu-like symptoms, then hit his first four shots.

He then missed all nine he took the rest of the way, which perfectly summed up the night for the Heat: fast start, harrowing finish.

Jackson hit a 3-pointer from the right corner to give Charlotte what was its biggest lead — two — with just under 5 minutes left, and visions of Utah had to be present in the minds of the Heat. Miami wasted a 22-point lead against the Jazz earlier in this now-completed, six-game homestand, and lost in overtime.

Not this time.

Going to James and Bosh with Wade ailing, the Heat held on. Haslem's charge on Wallace was perhaps the biggest defensive play — Wallace got a technical after the fact, which didn't help Charlotte's cause — and then Wade found James Jones for a 3-pointer with 19 seconds left to seal the outcome.

A 15-6 run over the final 7 minutes of the half gave the Heat a 56-37 lead going into the break. Charlotte missed nine of its last 12 shots before intermission, and the Heat were getting balance — six different players scored during that spurt, no one getting more than Wade's four.

Given the way this season has gone, the deficit was uncharacteristic for Charlotte. The Bobcats had lost seven games coming into Friday, only one of them by more than 10 points, their last four by a combined total of 15.

So, somewhat predictably, the Bobcats made things interesting quickly in the third quarter — with emphasis on attacking the rim.

Charlotte had 20 points in the paint in the first half, then 18 more in the third quarter alone, that number aided mightily because of the extra attention Miami had to place on perimeter defense once Jackson got rolling.

After scoring 14 points in the entire second quarter, the Bobcats put up 14 points in the first 4 minutes of the third. Jackson hit consecutive 3-pointers, the last of which drew Charlotte within 58-51. And even after the Heat restored a 14-point cushion later in the quarter, Jackson's drive down the left side of the lane got the Bobcats within seven again, 75-68 entering the fourth.

NBA Results:
Oklahoma 89, Boston 84
Philadelphia 90, Milwaukee 79
Toronto 106, Houston 96
Washington 89, Memphis 86
Miami 95, Charlotte 87
LA Lakers 112, Minnesota 95
New Orleans 108, Cleveland 101
San Antonio 94, Utah 82
Chicago 88, Dallas 83
Sacramento 86, new Jersey 81
New York 125, Golden State 119

Source:mb.com.ph