Lakers Succumb to Heat As Bryant Is Held in Check

MIAMI — Dwyane Wade dismissed all pre-game suggestions that his Christmas Day would be spent in a 1–on–1 showdown against Kobe Bryant.

Instead, Wade turned the matchup of two of the NBA's best scorers into a mostly one-sided battle.

Wade scored 40 points, added 11 assists, and led Miami to a 101–85 win over the Los Angeles Lakers yesterday — the third straight Christmas win for the Heat in the series. He made 12 of 20 shots from the floor, 15 of 16 from the line, and got a huge ovation when leaving with 57.9 seconds remaining.

Jason Kapono had 11 points and Dorell Wright added 10 for the Heat, who won for the fourth time in five games.

Bryant, who entered the game as the sixth-leading scorer in the league at 27.8 points per game, never got rolling. He missed his first six shots, finished 4–of–17 from the floor, and with 16 points — one over his season-low.

Ronny Turiaf had 13 points and Luke Walton added 10 for the Lakers, whose two-game winning streak was snapped.

This Christmas meeting lacked the hype of the previous two, where the reunions of teammates-turned-rivals Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal created no shortage of interesting storylines.

But the feud between the two thawed last year, and O'Neal wasn't even part of this game. The Heat center — who's appeared in only four games this season — missed his 21st consecutive contest as he continues to recover from knee surgery.

Meanwhile, O'Neal's team continues to recover from a horrid start to the year. Miami has now won a season-best four straight at home and is back to within a game of .500 at 13–14 — looking nothing like the team that lost six of seven in one stretch earlier this year.

The Heat led 30–16 after one quarter, with the two superstars having decidedly different fortunes in the early going. Wade had 12 points, five assists, and three blocks in the period, while Bryant was 0–for–6 from the floor with as many turnovers (2) as points.

Wright — who grew up in Los Angeles and got his chance to face the Lakers for the first time, after sitting out the four meetings between the clubs in his first two NBA seasons — had two dunks and a jumper in a 56-second span midway through the quarter, helping Miami build a quick 17–8 lead.