Miami Heat vs Sacramento Kings (115 - 102) December 6, 2009

Dwyane Wade drops 34 points and grabs 10 rebounds as the Heat defeat the Kings.

Wade Erases Bad Memory From L.A. With Win In Sacramento
By Jimmy Spencer, for NBA.com
Posted Monday December 7, 2009 1:35AM
SACRAMENTO (NBA.com exclusive) -- Kobe Bryant's last-second 3-point bank shot will remain in Dwyane Wade's memory for quite some time.

But for at least one night, Wade could smile about it.

Miami bounced back from its heartbreaking loss against the Lakers with a 115-102 victory in Sacramento on Sunday night to split its four-game West Coast road trip.

"That shot will always be in our memory," Wade said with a laugh, in regards to Bryant's remarkable shot that buried Miami in its previous game on Friday night.

"Hopefully we can continue to use that to get mad because we had one until No. 24 hit that shot. But this is a good way to end the trip."

Wade flashed that smile throughout the night, including a moment late in the fourth quarter when he had some fun with a heckler on the Sacramento baseline. Wade playfully made a near half court shot after the whistle and pointed back to the fan sitting underneath the far basket.

"I winked at him and told him that was for him," Wade said, adding that it was all in fun for both himself and the fan. "He'll remember that for his whole life and I will too."

Wade flashed another grin towards the Kings bench in the fourth quarter, after he finished in traffic with an acrobatic reverse layup.

It was a characteristic performance for one of the league's brightest stars, as Wade did most of his damage slashing through the lane and at the free throw line.

Wade scored 34 points -- including 14 of 16 from the free throw line -- and added 10 assists and five rebounds.

Kings coach Paul Westphal said the Kings defense tried everything, but Wade earned trips to the free throw line too easily.

"It's really tough when he gets to the line when he's not picking himself up off the floor and he's okay over whatever contact it was," Westphal said.

"I'm not saying that we should get dirty, I'm just saying that he gets to the line pretty easy -- it's tough to guard that."

The Heat moved the ball well throughout the night, tallying a season-high 30 assists and taking quality shots on its way to a 58.6 percent shooting night.

After beginning the season at 7-2, Miami had dropped seven of its last 10 games before Sunday night's win. Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra said despite recent losses, he's seen great progress in his team that leads him to believe it's headed in the right direction.

"Really if you only focus on the result you can look at it a little bit distorted," Spoelstra said. "But the process in which we have moved in ... we feel like we've been making some good steps ahead."

The Heat will have some time to rest now, as the team won't play until Friday when it returns to Miami for a six-game homestand beginning with the Dallas Mavericks.

Give the Heat credit for earning the win in Sacramento, where road victories have been rare. The Kings had won seven of their last eight games at home.

"This is a very tough place to play against a team that is playing at an extremely high level at home," Spoelstra said.

Kings first-round pick Tyreke Evans did his best impression of Wade, showing similar abilities of cutting strong and finishing at the basket. The rookie finished with 10 of his 30 points from the free throw line and added four assists.

After the game, comparisons between Evans and Wade were tossed around in both locker rooms.

"I could be the type of player (Wade) is," Evans said. "But he is just a great player flat out. When it was time for them to make a big shot he did a good job of keeping his team under control.

"I definitely think we have a comparison in our game but I've got to work hard."

The Heat shot 12-of-14 free throws in the first quarter and led 30-25 after finishing the opening period on a 9-0 run. Miami's momentum continued into the second quarter, as Miami led by as many as 18 points in the first half.

The Kings had a chance to cut their deficit to five points in the fourth quarter when Kings rookie Omri Casspi was fouled after cutting open backdoor. Casspi missed both free throws though and Wade converted on back-to-back jump shots on ensuing possessions to push Miami's lead back to double-digits.

Free throws were an issue all night for the Kings. A 74.6 percent free throw shooting team entering the night, Sacramento shot just 62.5 percent (20-of-32) from the line.

Jermaine O'Neal missed Sunday's game to be with his family in South Carolina after they decided to take his ailing uncle off life support.

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[ringringrajaprime]

@daryltanael wades girlfriend yeah hes a lucky mofo

[santaclausiscomin]

This is just like watching a kidnegardner trying to beat up shaq

[2FasT2QuicK2WaDE]

@daryltanael gabrielle union wade's girl

[barrhom]

which channel broad casting the match guys

[sydneygray6877]

HeatTeo, randomly I try to reminence what it was like before I can easily dunk in bball. Ever since I followed the training program at (50 inch vertical [dot] com) - my game has been improving alot I'm not a bench player anymore! #key1#

Miami Heat vs Sacramento Kings (115 - 102) December 6, 2009

[daryltanael]

whos that girl at the end

[mjman231]

hallowed ground!

[donkeyderek]

what jordan shoe is wade wearing?

[loketron]

to bad for the kings.

[LineRizzleMasta]

Dorell Wright!