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MIAMI -- Dwyane Wade got hot down the stretch, and LeBron James missed a layup in the final minute. Both were huge breaks for the Miami Heat. James scored 28 points, Wade scored 11 of his 24 in the final five minutes -- when Miami needed him most -- and the Heat extended the NBAs longest current winning streak to 11 games, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-105 in a back-and-forth matchup Sunday night. The Heat blew a 22-point second-half lead then rallied from eight down with 5:16 left. "Were a veteran ballclub and weve been in every situation that an NBA game can offer us," James said. "We dont get too high, we dont get too low, we just play the 48 minutes out and see where it takes us." Dion Waiters scored 26 points, C.J. Miles added 19 and Kyrie Irving scored 17 for Cleveland, which outscored Miami by a stunning 30 points over a 17-minute stretch of the second half, yet still came up empty. The Cavaliers are now 1-8 against the Heat since James signed with Miami in July 2010. "We had a very good chance against a very good basketball team, the world champions, and we lost the game because of mental mistakes," Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said. "Thats just something that we cant have happen again." In fairness, it wasnt just mental mistakes that doomed Cleveland late. There was a bit of luck involved for the Heat. Miami was up by two and held possession with 1:03 remaining. The shot clock was running down and Chris Bosh was open to try a 16-footer from the right wing. As Bosh was about to release, James got inexplicably free under the basket, thrusting both his arms skyward. Bosh threw him the pass -- and James, enjoying the best shooting season of his career, did the unthinkable: He missed the easy one. This is where the luck comes into play. The rebound found its way back to Bosh, the Heat ran down another shot clock, and Wade got loose for a two-handed dunk that pushed Miamis lead to 105-101 with 24.4 seconds left. It was a double-whammy for Cleveland. Miami scored and took nearly 40 seconds off a dwindling clock in the process. "Hey, Im a smart player. Thats what basketball IQ is all about," James said afterward, unable to hold back a sly grin. "I have no idea how I blew that layup. But it did work out for us. Got an extra possession, D-Wade was able to turn the corner and get a slam." Said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra: "I liked that play." Wade started what turned into a 16-4 run with a fadeaway with just under 5 minutes to go, then added a three-point play on the next Miami possession to cut the Cavs lead to 97-94. And after Irving missed a layup with 1:35 left, Wade got the rebound and set up Battier for a 3-pointer that put Miami on top again -- and for good. "I thought that we had the game," Cavaliers forward Alonzo Gee said. Sure looked like that was the case, after a ridiculously good third quarter. Down 68-46 early in the third, the Cavaliers looked finished -- last-place team, on the road, against the reigning NBA champions who just happened to have the leagues longest current winning streak. Midway through the third, Miamis lead was still 17. With two minutes left in the period, the cushion was 10. By the start of the fourth, it was nonexistent. The C.J. Miles Show lasted for all of 63 seconds. And they were a scintillating 63 seconds. It starts with 1:35 left, a 3-pointer from Miles getting the Miami lead down to seven. Then he got a rebound, came downcourt and connected on another 3-pointer. Lead down to four. Another stop by the Cavs on one end, then another 3-pointer for Miles on the other -- that one coming both with him drawing a foul from Chalmers, and with Spoelstra getting hit with a technical from referee Ed Malloy for arguing. Miles made the technical free throw to tie the game, the free throw for the Chalmers hit to put the Cavs ahead, and they carried that 82-81 lead into the fourth, having closed the quarter on a 36-13 run. "Guys just finally decided to start playing," Miles said. Miami used a 23-4 run in the first half to take what looked like a commanding 42-22 lead -- with more than 9 minutes left until the break. And after Cleveland got within seven, Miami answered with another burst. James didnt miss in the final 4:29 of the half, scoring 10 points on a 4-for-4 run from the floor and fueling what became 16-5 spurt that gave Miami a 64-46 lead going into the locker room. And for good measure, Miami got the first two baskets of the second half, pushing the lead to 22, the biggest of the night. Over, right? Not even remotely close. Not until the final frantic seconds, as the Heat not only extended their win streak but won for the fourth time in five nights. "We found a way," Wade said. "I felt like in the first three quarters, I couldnt move. But in the fourth, you just find it. ... We just turned that other switch on." NOTES: Miamis two wins over Cleveland this season, both at home, have come by a combined six points. ... The Cavs were without Daniel Gibson (personal) and Omri Casspi, who remained hospitalized in Orlando after surgery to remove his appendix. ... Heat F Mike Miller (ear infection) was back with the team Sunday, though did not play. "He cant hear anything were saying," Spoelstra quipped before the game. ... The Heat held a moment of silence pregame for Los Angeles Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss, the moment ending with warm applause from the crowd. Bob Cousy Jersey . -- Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill is listed as questionable for Sundays game at Indianapolis, and coach Joe Philbin says theres no timetable for a decision on whether hell play. Spud Webb Jersey . Kelly Olynyk had a game-high 16 points, leading Canadas senior mens basketball team to a 74-68 win over Belgium Sunday to sweep the two-game series at the 2011 Jack Donohue Classic. http://www.nbastore.us.com/Atlanta-Hawks-lf-25_Pete-Maravich-Jersey-db-96.html . -- Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll says he is not concerned about cornerback Richard Shermans preparation for Sundays game against San Francisco despite missing two days of practice. Bill Russell Jersey . At a South Lawn event, Obama praised the team not only for the goal line stand that sealed its second Super Bowl trophy but its charitable work in blue collar Baltimore. Quarterback Joe Flacco was singled out for winning the Super Bowls most valuable player -- and a miracle touchdown pass at a playoff game in Denver -- which helped him win a huge $100 million-plus contract in the off-season. Kevin Mchale Jersey . Louis Blues to Nationwide Arena. The Blue Jackets and Blues, who have 81 and 80 points on the season, respectively, have been officially eliminated from playoff contention, but St. LOS ANGELES -- The Memphis Grizzlies got down in the trenches again and grabbed home-court advantage from the Los Angeles Clippers. Zach Randolph scored 10 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter and the Grizzlies capitalized on Blake Griffins ankle injury to beat the Clippers 103-93 on Tuesday night, taking a 3-2 lead in their first-round playoff series. "It certainly feels better than going home down 2-3," coach Lionel Hollins said. Mike Conley added 20 points for the Grizzlies, who will try to wrap it up Friday night at home. The Pacific Division champion Clippers, who won their last seven games of the regular season to clinch home-court advantage for the first two rounds, would force a deciding seventh game on Sunday back at Staples Center with a win in Memphis. "Were not going to lay down and were never going to give up," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "Were going to play hard, play together and try to do what we can to make it work. Weve got to regroup and see how healthy we can get between now and then." Chris Paul led Los Angeles with 35 points, tying a career playoff high. "Weve got to be desperate. Thats how it is," Paul said. "Ive said the playoffs dont start till somebody loses at home, so I guess now theyve started. We lost here at home. Now its do or die in Memphis." Griffin was late joining teammates on the floor for warm-ups because he was getting his right ankle worked on. The three-time All-Star rolled it during Mondays practice when he stepped on Lamar Odoms foot during post drills, but no one in the organization let on, and Del Negro didnt broach the subject during his pregame briefing with reporters. "I kept being optimistic," Griffin said. "Our training staff did a great job giving me treatment. Ive never had a high ankle sprain before." Once the game started, Griffin ignored the ankle issue and attacked the Grizzlies in the same reckless manner that has been his trademark since he came into the league. But he played only 19 minutes -- six in the second half -- and finished with four points, five rebounds and five assists. He also got a technical foul from referee Jason Phillips just 3 minutes into the game after scoring on a fastbreak layup and shoving centre Marc Gasols arm. "Its tough. B.G. tried to give it a go, like we all knew he would," Paul said. "Right now were fighting for our lives. Its a tough blow, but what can you do? Weve got to find a way to get through it and figure it out. Thats what the playoffs are all about. "We tried to come out with some energy. Weve just got to find a way to get everyone involved. As a point guard, Ive got to find a way." Gasol finished with 21 points and eight rebounds in a foul-plagued 31 1-2 minutes. He picked up his fifth with 5:39 left in the third quarter, and still managed to be a factor in the fourth. "We won with defence," Gasol said. "Zach did an amazing job under the basket, but defensiveely is how we won the game.dddddddddddd." Memphis took its biggest lead, 65-52, on Conleys three-point play with 6:28 left in the third quarter. The Grizzlies opened the fourth with a 73-65 advantage before the Clippers closed on Pauls layup and Matt Barnes fastbreak slam off a long pass by Jamal Crawford. From then on, it was up to Paul and the reserves to bail out the Clippers. But Randolph was too much to deal with again, following his dominant efforts in Games 3 and 4. "We knew these guys were going to come out firing, which they did," Memphis guard Tony Allen said. "Our whole thing was just keeping our composure, playing hard, playing together and not letting those guys get those lobs and the highlight stuff that they normally do. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph were huge for us." Tayshaun Prince helped wrap it up with a layup and a 3-pointer in the final minutes after the Clippers got within five on a short jumper by Crawford with 1:49 remaining. "I thought we withstood the early barrages of energy that they had," Hollins said. "In the second quarter we set the tone of the game with our defence and we played with that the rest of the game. After Marc got his fifth foul, Zach took over and carried us with his big plays and Prince hit a couple of big shots." During a bruising opening half, 24 fouls were called and neither team led by more than four until Gasols three-point play gave the Grizzlies a 46-40 margin with 2:35 left. Griffin picked up his third foul on the play and his second in a span of 28 seconds. One key sequence came when Conley hit an off-balance 11-foot bank shot with 1:08 left in the half and Clippers reserve centre Ryan Hollins threw the ensuing inbounds pass right to Randolph. Moments later, Conley converted two free throws to give Memphis a nine-point lead 48 seconds before intermission. "I dont try to match anybody. I am just playing my game," Conley said. "A lot of guys are going to try and get 40 on us. I just try to stay within myself and the teams game." With the sellout crowd of 19,384 urging him on, Paul responded with a 3-pointer. His driving layup was blocked by Prince at the end of the half. NOTES: The Grizzlies committed only four turnovers during the first three quarters, none of which were converted into points by the Clippers. ... Memphis G Keyon Dooling returned to the lineup after missing Game 4 because of a strained muscle in his neck. ... Griffin did not get to the free throw line after going 18 for 22 in the first four games. He shot a career-high 66 per cent during the regular season. ... LAs Chauncey Billups only field goal was a 3-pointer. His 267 3-pointers in the post-season are the fourth-most behind Ray Allen, Reggie Miller and Kobe Bryant. ... The Clippers, who beat the Grizzlies at Memphis in Game 7 of last years opening-round playoff series, had their first winning road record in franchise history this season (24-17). ' ' '
