Heat 99, Knicks 89
Dwyane Wade scored 28 points in his return from an ankle injury as the host Miami Heat overcame a long-range barrage to defeat the shorthanded New York Knicks 99-89 Friday night.
Wade, who missed the previous six games, shot 11 for 19 from the field as the Heat improved to 8-2 at AmericanAirlines Arena. LeBron James posted a game-high 31 points and Chris Bosh chipped in with 13 points and nine rebounds in the victory.
Bill Walker hit seven 3-pointers en route to a team-high 21 points for the Knicks, who were without scoring leader Carmelo Anthony (ankle, wrist). New York made 18 of a franchise-record 43 attempts from beyond the arc but still lost for the eighth time in nine games.
Trailing by four after some subpar first-half shooting, the Knicks caught fire to jump ahead in the third quarter. Toney Douglas began the run with a 3-pointer, and Walker followed with three straight 3s to cap a 12-2 burst that gave New York a four-point lead.
Miami finished the quarter with a surge, as Shane Battier knocked down back-to-back 3s and James added a driving layup with 32 seconds left as the Heat went into the fourth up 74-71.
New York hung tough until just before midway through the final quarter, as Wade hit a 16-foot jumper and added a tip-in to give Miami a seven-point edge it wouldn't relinquish.