Wade leads Heat over Lakers

MIAMI – Growing up, Dwyane Wade was always around a television when it was time for the NBA’s annual Christmas game telecast.

“You always watched,” Wade said, “because something exciting always happened.”

He wasn’t watching on Monday – because he was the one providing the excitement.

Wade dismissed all pregame suggestions that his Christmas would be a 1-on-1 showdown against Kobe Bryant, then turned the matchup of two of the NBA’s best scorers into a one-sided battle. He had 40 points and 11 assists, leading Miami to a 101-85 win over the Los Angeles Lakers – the third straight Christmas win for the Heat in the series.

Wade made 12 of 20 shots from the floor, 15 of 16 from the line, and got a huge ovation from another sellout Miami crowd when leaving with 57.9 seconds remaining.

The praise kept coming postgame, too.

“Pretty entertaining to watch,” said Heat center Alonzo Mourning. “He’s a special player.”

Meanwhile, Bryant never got rolling.

He missed his first six shots, finished 4 of 17 from the floor and with 16 points, one over his season-low.

Jason Kapono had 11 points and Wright added 10 for the Heat, who won for the fourth time in five games.

Ronny Turiaf had 13 points and Luke Walton added 10 for the Lakers.

This Christmas meeting lacked the hype of the previous two, where the reunions of teammates-turned-rivals Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal created no shortage of interesting storylines.

But the feud between the two thawed last year, and O’Neal wasn’t in this game. The Heat center – who’s appeared in only four games this season – missed his 21st consecutive contest as he continues to recover from knee surgery.