Dwyane Wade scores final 8 Miami points, beats OKC with late FTs

Kobe Bryant’s fall in his final season has made the plight of aging superstars a hot topic of conversation this season, particularly as it applies to ball-dominant perimeter players. Credit is due to Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade, then, for largely bucking this trend in his 13th NBA season. The future Hall of Famer came into Thursday’s home game with the Oklahoma City Thunder averaging 21.9 points per 36 minutes (albeit with relatively poor field-goal and three-point percentages) and a 20.4 PER, good enough to help the deep Heat to one of the top records in the resurgent East.

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Wade added to his quality season by taking over in crunch time against OKC. Down 91-89 entering the final four minutes of regulation, Wade scored the last eight Miami points (all of which either tied the score or gave his team the lead) to end up with a 97-95 win. Wade finished with a game-high 28 points (11-of-21 FG) and added four assists. The contest never saw a margin of more than six points, stayed within one possession for the entire fourth quarter, and featured 39 lead changes, making it statistically the most competitive game of the season so far.

Wade’s last two scoring plays were especially notable. This drive through the OKC defense and floater over Andre Roberson tied the game at 95-95 with 29 seconds left:

After a missed three by Kevin Durant at the other end, Wade got himself deep under the basket and managed to draw a foul from Serge Ibaka. Wade knocked down the free throws, and Russell Westbrook could not manage more than a very contested three as time expired.

It’s worth noting that Wade had a great deal of help on that final offensive possession, because the Thunder defense bailed him out with the foul when he appeared to have nothing close to a good look. Unfortunately for OKC, that mistake typified their late-game execution. One of the league’s most talent-rich offenses managed only eight points in the final six minutes as the attack devolved into isolation attempts and a set of half-formed ideas. The very good Heat defense deserves praise, but the Thunder fired head coach Scott Brooks last spring in part because they wanted a more varied offense in crunch time. It’s still early, but Billy Donovan looks behind schedule.