MIAMI _ This time there was pushback, pushback by the Miami Heat from an early 19-ponit deficit, pushback from Hassan Whiteside after an uneven start of his own.
And ultimately, as it has been for a decade and a half, there was Dwyane Wade when needed most, his two free throws with 3.2 seconds left Sunday lifting the Heat to a 102-100 victory Sunday over the Utah Jazz at AmericanAirlines.
Playing with a short-handed roster, the Heat set up Wade for a late drive that drew the night's most important whistle. The game then ended off a Jazz inbounds play with 3.2 seconds to play, when guard Donovan Mitchell was off with a 3-point attempt.
Whiteside closed with 23 points, 20 rebounds and three blocked shots, supported by 16 points apiece from Josh Richardson and Kelly Olynyk and 15 points and eight assists from Wade.
A Mitchell 3-pointer with 4:01 to play put the Jazz up 94-92, only to be countered seconds later by a Wade 3-pointer for a 95-92 Heat lead.
The scoring by 3s continued with a Ricky Rubio 3-point play with 3:28 left that put Utah back up 97-95.
Wade then dropped to 3 of 12 when he was inches off with a lane floater, later off with an open 3-pointer with that same score, to fall to 3 of 13.
Then, with 2:03 to play, Wayne Ellington drained a 3-pointer to put the Heat up 98-97, with Wade following with a driving layup with 1:32 left for a 100-97 lead.
Still, it wasn't enough, with a Rubio 3-pointer with 1:19 left tying it at 100.
Eventually, with 42.1 seconds to play and the score still tied, the Heat called time, with 10 seconds remaining on the shot clock.
The ball then went to Wade, who hit only the side of the rim on an open 3-point attempt, leading to a Jazz timeout with 32 seconds to play.
Mitchell then missed a driving layup with 20 seconds to play, with Wade fouled on a drive on the other end with 3.2 seconds to play.
At 3 of 3 from the line to that stage, Wade made both attempts for a 102-100 lead, leading to a Jazz timeout and closing out the scoring.
