Heat outlast Bobcats

Injuries have allowed Dwyane Wade to show another facet of his game: He’s a great passer.

Wade scored 35 points, 13 in the fourth quarter, and added 12 assists Saturday night as the Miami Heat beat the Charlotte Bobcats 102-93 at Charlotte, N.C.

Wade, forced to play a lot at point guard with Jason Williams and Gary Payton nursing injuries, has 27 assists in two games.

“Now he can be a distributor and a facilitator,” said Heat coach Pat Riley, who won his 400th game with Miami. “The ball can come back to him on the second option. I think he’s beginning to understand that.”

Alonzo Mourning, back in the city where he began his NBA career, added 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting as Miami, coming in as the lowest-scoring team in the NBA, shot a season-high 55 percent to snap a three-game losing streak.

“I made a point to the team prior to the game that about every week we get a win,” Riley said. “So we got a win this week.”

Former Gonzaga star Adam Morrison matched a career high with 27 points for the Bobcats, who lost their second straight and fell to 1-8 all-time against Miami.

Wade’s 18-foot jumper put the Heat up 76-66 early in the fourth quarter. He followed his own miss and banked in a shot in the lane with 6:33 left, then on the next possession got up in the air and fed Antoine Walker for layup to give Miami an 88-77 lead.

Wade, who a night earlier had a career-high 15 assists, made 10 of 14 shots and 15 of 22 free throws in his sixth game of 30 or more points this season.

The number of free-throw attempts drew the ire of Charlotte’s Gerald Wallace.

“It’s hard to guard anybody if you aren’t allowed to touch him,” Wallace said. “We’re not allowed to touch the league’s superstars.”

Pistons 115, Wizards 111: At Washington, Chauncey Billups scored 29 points and Detroit beat the Wizards to stretch its winning streak to six games.

Magic 98, Hawks 79: At Orlando, Fla., Carlos Arroyo scored 15 points, Dwight Howard added 11 points and 11 rebounds, and the Magic coasted to a victory over Atlanta.

Cavaliers 108, 76ers 95: At Cleveland, LeBron James had 25 points and 11 assists, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, mostly forgotten in Cleveland’s offense this season, scored a season-high 18 to lead the Cavaliers to a win over Philadelphia.

Bulls 106, Knicks 95: At New York, Luol Deng scored 24 points and Chicago ended a six-game losing streak by holding off the Knicks.

Timberwolves 104, Clippers 96: At Minneapolis, rookie Randy Foye scored 14 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, rallying Minnesota to a victory over Los Angeles.

Mavericks 85, Hornets 73: At Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki had 28 points and nine rebounds, and the Mavericks stretched their winning streak to nine games with a victory over New Orleans.

Rockets 85, Grizzlies 76: At Houston, Yao Ming scored 28 points, Tracy McGrady added 19 points and matched a career high with 13 assists, and the Rockets beat Memphis.

Celtics 111, Bucks 98: At Milwaukee, Paul Pierce scored 34 points, 16 in the third quarter, as Boston beat the Bucks.

Kings 105, Trail Blazers 85: At Sacramento, Calif., Kevin Martin scored 27 points to lead the Kings to a victory over Portland.

Warriors 91, Jazz 78: At Oakland, Calif., Matt Barnes scored a career-high 24 points, including 17 in the third quarter, and Golden State handed Utah just its second loss of the season.