Wade puts heat on Nets as Miami near series victory

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A dominant display from Dwyane Wade
guided the Miami Heat to a 102-92 victory over the New Jersey
Nets and put his team on the verge of the Eastern Conference
finals in National Basketball Association play Sunday.

Wade had 31 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in
East Rutherford for the Heat, which leads the best-of-seven
series 3-1, with a chance to close out the series with a win in
Game Four Tuesday in Miami.

In Los Angeles, Elton Brand had 30 points, nine rebounds
and eight assists as the Clippers beat the Phoenix Suns 114-107
in their Western Conference second-round series.

That best-of-seven series is tied 2-2, and now heads back
to Phoenix for Game Five Tuesday night.

Antoine Walker also scored 20 points for the Heat, which
lost the first game of the series at home but rebounded to win
the next three, including two straight in New Jersey.

“We go home to Game Five and try to close it out at home,”
Wade told reporters.

“When we play Miami Heat basketball at both ends of the
floor, we’re a tough team to beat.”

Miami didn’t need a big game from Shaquille O’Neal in order
to take the stranglehold on the series either, as O’Neal was
held to just 16 points and eight rebounds in 35 minutes.

The Heat shot 53 percent from the field to just 43 percent
New Jersey, as Miami led 54-48 at the half and by three points
after three quarters.

STICK TOGETHER

“We’re not going to hang our heads and say it’s over,” New
Jersey’s Vince Carter told reporters. “I expect us to come out,
stick together, play hard.”

Carter led the Nets with 26 points on 12-for-28 shooting,
while Nenad Krstic had 20 points and 14 rebounds.

Jason Kidd posted his ninth career playoff triple-double
for the Nets, scoring 17 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and
adding 12 assists, putting him tied for third in that category
with Wilt Chamberlin.

Richard Jefferson added 17 points for the Nets.

In Los Angeles, Sam Cassell just missed a triple-double
with 28 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for the Clippers,
who are in the second round of the NBA playoffs for the first
time since 1976.

Corey Maggette added 18 points and 15 rebounds for Los
Angeles, which had six players in double figures, including
Vladimir Radmanovic, who had 13 points.

The Clippers had a 10-point lead at the half and survived a
late Phoenix run in the dying minutes to send the series back
to Phoenix tied, shooting 49 percent from the field and making
25 of 29 free throw attempts.

Raja Bell led Phoenix with 33 points on 13-for-20 shooting,
but the Suns couldn’t generate enough stops in the second half
to get any closer than five points as time wound down.

Boris Diaw had 21 points for the Suns, while Shawn Marion
added 14 points and had 10 rebounds for Phoenix.

Steve Nash was held to just eight points and 11 assists and
did not get a field goal in the second half.

(Writing by Roger Lajoie in Toronto)