Feb 27, 2005 By Nba Roundup 3 min read

MIAMI (AP) – Dwyane Wade scored 14 of his 25 points in the final quarter, and the Miami Heat overcame the absence of Shaquille O’Neal on Saturday to beat the Orlando Magic 101-98. The Heat avoided their first three-game losing streak of the season. Wade scored eight straight Miami points down the stretch, first on a pair of tiebreaking jumpers, then with four straight free throws – the last two giving the Heat a 99-95 lead with 15.8 seconds left.

Eddie Jones had 15 points, Damon Jones added 14 and Michael Doleac and Rasual Butler each had 10 for Miami, which was without O’Neal for essentially a third straight game because of his sprained left knee.

Orlando’s Grant Hill led all scorers with 28 points, on 12-of-17 shooting. Francis, who had 31 points in Orlando’s last matchup with Miami, missed his first six shots from the field and finished with 16.

Kings 101, 76ers 99

PHILADELPHIA – Chris Webber failed to convert a last-second layup after grabbing an offensive rebound off an intentionally missed free throw, spoiling his debut for the Philadelphia 76ers in a loss to the Sacramento Kings.

Webber had 16 points, 11 rebounds and three steals in his first game with his new team. Strangely, it came against the team that traded him less than 72 hours earlier.

Webber didn’t have the ball in his hands as much as he’s accustomed to, but Allen Iverson took care of distributing it by handing out a season-high 14 assists to go with his 27 points.

Mike Bibby scored 19 points to lead six players in double figures for the Kings.

Knicks 90, Pacers 79

NEW YORK – Stephon Marbury scored 21 points to lead the New York Knicks to their second straight victory, a win over the tired Indiana Pacers.

Jamal Crawford added 17 points, and Kurt Thomas had 16 points and seven rebounds for the Knicks, who won consecutive games for the first time since taking the final three in December. New York (23-33) is 6-12 since Herb Williams took over as coach following Lenny Wilkens’ resignation in late January.

Bulls 94, Bobcats 90

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Ben Gordon sank a 3-pointer that sealed Chicago’s 94-90 victory over Charlotte and his college roommate, Emeka Okafor.

Okafor and Gordon were teammates on Connecticut’s national title team last year and the Nos. 2 and 3 picks in the NBA draft and are leading Rookie of the Year contenders this season.

Okafor had 26 points and 12 rebounds to lead Charlotte, but Gordon had the big basket to win the game among his 11 points.

Antonio Davis led Chicago with 20 points.