Heat 96, Cavaliers 95
Norris Cole barely missed a triple-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists as visiting Miami won its seventh straight despite sitting its top players.
Rashard Lewis scored 19 points and James Jones added 14 as the Heat beat Cleveland for the seventh straight time. Miami won all four meetings this season by a total of 10 points.
Tristan Thompson had 16 points and 13 rebounds and Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters scored 16 apiece for the Cavaliers, who dropped their fifth game in a row and have lost 15 of their last 17.
Cleveland led by 11 points in the second quarter but the Heat closed within 52-49 at halftime before taking control in the third. The Heat hit 13-of-19 shots in the third while holding the Cavaliers to 7-of-23 to carry an 80-71 lead into the fourth.
Miami led by a dozen with just over nine minutes to play before Cleveland rallied to cut the deficit to 93-91 with 3:17 left. After the Heat went back ahead by five, Irving hit back-to-back baskets to make it a one-point game, but Cole knocked the ball away before Irving could get off a potential winning shot.
GAME NOTEBOOK: LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Mario Chalmers sat out the contest while Dwyane Wade, Shane Battier and Udonis Haslem did not even accompany the team to Cleveland. ... Thompson recorded his 31st double-double of the season for the Cavaliers. ... Heat C Juwan Howard made his 899th career start - and first since April 14, 2010.