Wade heats up
SEATTLE – Dwyane Wade’s fourth-quarter performance was proof that four games off was the remedy the Miami Heat All-Star needed to regain his explosiveness.
Content to get others involved in the first half, Wade scored 14 of his 29 points in the final 8 minutes of Miami’s 107-103 win over the Seattle SuperSonics Wednesday night.
Saying his energy level was the best all season, Wade scored 25 second-half points to go along with 13 assists in leading Miami to its second straight win.
“Coming out and setting my teammates up I didn’t have to use a lot of energy early on and that enabled me to save a lot for later in the game when they needed me to attack,” Wade said.
Wade made 8 of 16 shots and was 13 of 17 at the free-throw line. Jason Kapono added 19 points and former Sonic Gary Payton added 14 off the bench.
Wade missed four games with a sprained right wrist and returned Sunday at Portland, scoring 33 points against the Blazers.
Wade patiently distributed to shooters Kapono and Jason Williams in the first half, handing out nine assists. Combined with Payton’s 10 points off the bench, the Heat stayed close enough for Wade to take control in the final 24 minutes.
“He was pacing himself in the first half … and he was getting everybody shots,” Miami coach Ron Rothstein said. “He was just letting the game come to him.”
Wade scored eight of Miami’s first 11 points of the second half and then saved his best for the closing minutes.
Wade’s 15-footer with 4:52 left gave the Heat a 93-91 lead. After Seattle pulled even at 93, Wade made a 21-footer with Earl Watson in his face. The capper was a dribble-drive through Seattle’s defense, finished with a left-handed scoop shot that gave Miami the lead for good at 97-95.
“He’s great and great players on the road – which Dwyane did – he took over the game and we had very little answers,” said Seattle interim coach Gordon Chiesa, filling in for Bob Hill, who is out with a respiratory infection.
“We tried every possible defense ever invented by mankind as far as trying to slow him down and he still was sensational.”
Ray Allen made a pair of 3-pointers in the closing seconds and led Seattle with 29 points. Chris Wilcox added 28 points and 13 rebounds, but Seattle lost its sixth straight and eighth of nine.
“I’m just a little upset that we couldn’t get a win tonight,” Wilcox said. “I think we played hard for four quarters and I just think you got to find out what it is in these last two minutes. … We’ve got to dig deep and find some answers.”
Sene sent down
The Sonics sent rookie center Mouhamed Sene to the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League.
Sene has seen spotting playing time, averaging just 0.9 points and 1.1 rebounds in 16 games. Sene, a native of Senegal, was the No. 10 pick in last year’s draft, the third straight center selected by the Sonics.
Assistant coach Gordan Chiesa said Sene was sent down to help with his development and get him playing time.
Sene was the first player by Seattle sent down to the D-League. Idaho is an affiliate of the Sonics and Utah Jazz.