For all of the publicity of “The Heatles,” Miami guard Dwyane Wade has a way of standing above his teammates — and everybody else in the NBA — when he really gets going.
That was the case Friday night as Wade erupted for 39 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, five blocked shots and three steals and was plus-24 in the Heat’s 111-99 triumph over Philadelphia.
“I really had no clue what I had going,” Wade told the Associated Press.
Wade’s big night enabled the Heat to claim their their fourth straight victory as they climbed within a half-game of Boston for the No. 2 playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. And it was particularly noteworthy considering he failed to score in the first quarter. He personally outscored the 76ers in the fourth quarter, 18-17.
According to STATS LLC, Wade big night was one of the most memorable in the last 25 season. The last stat line like the one he finished with Friday came nearly a decade earlier to the day. Shaquille O’Neal finished with 40 points, 17 rebounds, eight assists, five blocks and three steals for the Lakers on March 23, 2001 against Washington.
“Dwyane was simply sensational,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
For that kind of effort, Wade was an easy choice to lead Friday’s Studs and Duds across the association.
STUDS
Miami G Dwyane Wade: Had a strong all-around game with 39 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, five blocked shots and three steals and was plus-24 in the Heat’s 111-99 triumph over Philadelphia — their fourth straight victory.
Milwaukee G Brandon Jennings: Scored a season-high 37 points, and added six rebounds and three assists and was plus-14 in Milwaukee’s 102-96 victory at New York — their third win in four games that pulled them within two games of the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot.
Los Angeles Lakers G Kobe Bryant: Notched 37 points and had six assists and was plus-20 in the Lakers’ 112-114 victory over the Clippers. It was the Lakers’ sixth straight win and 14th in 15 games.
Miami F LeBron James: Tallied 32 points, 10 rebounds and three steals in the Heat’s victory over Philadelphia.
Golden State G Monta Ellis: Had a strong all-around game with 27 points, 10 assists, four rebounds, four steals and was plus-42 in the Warriors’ 138-100 blowout over Toronto to snap a six-game losing streak.
Chicago G Derrick Rose: Produced 24 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the Bulls’ 99-96 triumph over Memphis. Rose scored the Bulls’ final six points, including an acrobatic layup that led to a critical play that sealed the victory — their 11th triumph in 12 games and 18th in 21 games.
Cleveland C J.J. Hickson: Notched 24 points, 15 rebounds and was a team-high plus-11 in the Cavaliers’ 97-91 victory over Detroit — snapping a seven-game home losing streak and giving them only their second victory in the last 10 games.
Golden State G Stephen Curry: Scored 23 points, provided eight assists and was a team-best plus-43 in the Warriors’ beatdown of Toronto.
Portland F Nicolas Batum: Scored a game-winning alley-oop dunk at the buzzer, part of 21-point effort in the Trail Blazers’ 98-96 victory over San Antonio — their second straight triumph.
Milwaukee C Andrew Bogut: Went for 21 points, 17 rebounds, four blocked shots and was plus-15 in the Bucks’ victory at New York.
Orlando F Hedo Turkoglu: Went for 20 points, 13 assists and was plus-10 in the Magic’s 95-85 victory over New Jersey — their fifth straight triumph.
Oklahoma City G Russell Westbrook: Tallied 19 points, eight assists, five steals and was plus-4 in the Thunder’s 111-103 victory over Minnesota — their 11th win in 13 games.
New Orleans F Carl Landry: Started in place of the injured David West and scored 19 points, grabbed six rebounds, notched three steals and was a team-best plus-8 in the Hornets’ 106-100 victory over Phoenix — their fifth in six games pulling them into a virtual tie with Portland for the sixth playoff spot in the West.
Sacramento C DeMarcus Cousins: The rookie muscled for 18 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots in the Kings’ 110-97 victory at Indiana – their fourth win in their last seven games.
Charlotte F D.J. White: Came off the bench to produce a career-high 17 points and six rebounds as the Bobcats came from 13 down in the final quarter to claim an 83-81 victory at Boston.
Denver F Chris Anderson: “The Birdman” went for a season-high 17 points, tallied 11 rebounds, five assists and was plus-20 in the Nuggets’ 114-94 victory over Washington — their third straight victory and seventh in nine games.
Los Angeles Clippers G Mo Williams: Went for 30 points and six assists in the Clippers’ loss to the Lakers.
Minnesota F Anthony Randolph: While starting in place of the injured Kevin Love, he scored 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in the Timberwolves’ loss at Oklahoma City.
New Jersey G Jordan Farmar: Tallied 15 points and 16 assists in the Nets’ loss at Orlando.
DUDS
Phoenix G Steve Nash: Clanked through a 1-for-9 night with only three points and had five turnovers in the Suns’ loss to New Orleans that doomed their playoff hopes.
Philadelphia G Andre Iguodala: Went 3-for-10 from the field with four turnovers and was a team-worst minus-17 in the 76ers’ loss at Miami.
Minnesota F Michael Beasley: Hit 8-for-18 from the field with seven turnovers in the Timberwolves’ loss at Oklahoma City — their sixth straight defeat and 17th in their last 21 games.
Washington G John Wall: Went 2-for-10 from the field with four turnovers and was minus-18 in the Wizards’ loss at Denver — their third straight defeat. They are now 1-34 on the road this season.
San Antonio G Tony Parker: Went 7-for-17 from the field with a career-worst eight turnovers and was minus-3 in the Spurs’ loss at Portland — their second straight defeat.
Indiana F Danny Granger: Clanked through a 4-for-13 shooting effort with four turnovers and was minus-14 in the Pacers’ loss to Sacramento. It sliced Indiana’s lead for the last playoff spot in the East to two games.
Toronto C Andres Bargnani: Went 2-for-10 from the field and was minus-40 in the Raptors’ huge loss to Golden State — their third straight defeat.
New York G Chauncey Billups: Hit 3-for-11 from the field and was minus-14 in the Knicks’ loss to Milwaukee — their fifth straight defeat.
Los Angeles Clippers G Eric Gordon: Went 3-for-14 from the field for seven points, had two turnovers and was minus-9 in the Clippers’ loss to the Lakers.
Detroit G Tracy McGrady: Went 1-for-5 from the field with two turnovers and was minus-8 in the Pistons’ loss at Cleveland — their third straight defeat.
Orlando G Gilbert Arenas: Was frigid in a 1-for-12 effort with two turnovers in the Magic’s victory over New Jersey.
Boston C Glen Davis: Went 3-for-10 from the field, had two turnovers and was minus-13 in the Celtics’ stunning home loss to Charlotte — their second straight loss and sixth in 10 games.
