Miami Heat tops the Houston Rockets, LeBron James makes case for MVP - MiamiHerald.com

When Dwyane Wade went down with a dislocated left index finger early in Saturday night’s loss to the Wizards, LeBron James wanted to come in and help his teammates.

But Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, looking to rest his Big 3 before the playoffs, “put the plug on me,” James said.

There was nothing that could keep James off the court Sunday night â€" not even a game that probably won’t mean much for the Heat when it comes to seeding in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Playing with the same intensity he has all season, James put on another MVP-worthy performance on Fan Appreciation Night, finishing with 32 points, eight rebounds and five assists as the Heat rallied for a 97-88 victory that knocked the Houston Rockets out of playoff contention.

The Heat (46-18) still has dim hopes of overtaking Chicago for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. But they need the Bulls (48-16) to lose their final two games â€" at Indiana Wednesday and home versus Cleveland Thursday. The Heat, meanwhile, must win Tuesday in Boston and Thursday at Washington.

“I love the game and that’s what it’s about,” said James, who scored at least 30 points for the 24th time this season, tying him with Kobe Bryant for the most in the NBA.

“I just like being out there with my teammates, playing the game. I’m happy to contribute to get a win on this homestand.”

With Wade and Chris Bosh sitting out, the Heat fielded its 16th different starting lineup of the season with James starting alongside Norris Cole, Udonis Haslem, James Jones and Dexter Pittman.

Point guard Mario Chalmers also sat out for the first time since Feb. 8 due to flu-like symptoms.

Slow start

And things didn’t start well.

The Heat missed its first six shots and trailed 23-10 in the opening quarter before going on a 17-6 run to take a one-point lead at the half. Mike Miller’s three-pointer with 25 seconds left gave the Heat its first and only lead of the half at 45-44.

Former Florida Gator Chandler Parsons scored a career-high 23 points for the Rockets (33-32) and helped Houston build a 79-73 lead with 6:31 remaining in the game.

But James rallied the Heat, hitting a three-pointer with 2:45 left that put Miami up for good at 86-83. Miller hit a three on the Heat’s following possession to give Miami more cushion.

‘Special season’

James scored 12 points in all in the fourth quarter.

“Kevin Durant and the Thunder have had a great year and played great. I just think LeBron has had a special, special season,” said Heat forward Shane Battier when asked who was deserving of the league MVP. “Some of my boys on Houston [where Battier played before] just shook their heads and said, ‘That guy is animal.’ I’m like: ‘I know. That’s what I’ve been telling you guys.’ ”

Cole finished with 16 points. Joel Anthony, who provided a nice lift off the bench, added 11 points and six rebounds. Miller finished with 11 points on 4 of 12 shooting.

“Those are the kind of wins that coaches like,” Spoelstra said. “Segments of the game that were tough and ugly. We went through spells offensively where the ball was not going in.

“But we were able to stay in it offensively, weather offensive storms and break the game open at the end. Good team win. It was nice to have LeBron back. But other guys stepped up."

With the win, the Heat concluded their home schedule with a league-best 28-5 record. It is the second-best home winning percentage in franchise history. The .848 win percentage ranks second all-time only to the 35-6 home record (.854) the Heat posted in 2004-05.