OKLAHOMA CITY_ Beyond earning two consecutive victories at a critical juncture in the midst of a push for a playoff spot -- and possibly playoff positioning -- the Miami Heat's last two much-needed wins are particularly important for another reason.
They've shown what the Heat are capable of when guards Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic are playing at their best in their vital roles off the bench.
Dragic scored 26 points and Wade 25 as the Heat, without Justise Winslow and Rodney McGruder, as the Heat rebounded from a 13-0 deficit to start, led by as many as 19 and held on for a 116-107 win against the Russell Westbrook-less Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Monday night.
The Heat (34-36) are now one game behind the Brooklyn Nets for seventh in the Eastern Conference, and with the Detroit Pistons losing in Cleveland, they are two games out of the sixth spot.
Dragic made a season-high six 3-pointers and had 10 assists. Big man Kelly Olynyk had 18 points and nine rebounds. Forward James Johnson scored 14 off the Heat bench.
As the Thunder cut the Heat lead that reached 19 early in the fourth down to nine with under four minutes to play, Wade went to the line to knock down a pair of critical free throws that helped quiet the crowd.
A Paul George three with 1:50 to go made it a six-point game at 110-104. The Thunder then had a fast-break opportunity but turned it over. A James Johnson putback slam off an offensive rebound followed by a Bam Adebayo alley-oop slam off the pass from Wade put the game away with under a minute to play.
The Heat outlasted 31 points from George, 27 with 10 rebounds from Jerami Grant and 20 from Dennis Schroder. Westbrook was suspended one game for picking up his 16th technical foul in Oklahoma City's last game against the Golden State Warriors.
The Heat next play at the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night for the second game of a four-game road trip and the third in a stretch of five games in seven days.
