Wade gets 22, Heat flex defensive muscle and deal Denver 1st loss of season, 96-88

Heat deal Nuggets 1st loss of year, 96-88

MIAMI — Dwyane Wade scored 22 points, Jermaine O’Neal added 18 and the Miami Heat dealt the Denver Nuggets their first loss of the season, 96-88 on Friday night.

Mario Chalmers scored 16 points, Quentin Richardson added 13 and Udonis Haslem finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who are 5-1 for only the third time in their 22 seasons and beat Denver for the first time since Dec. 17, 2004.

Denver (5-1) got 30 points from Carmelo Anthony, and little from anyone else: Take away Anthony, and the high-powered Nuggets shot only 12 for 35 through the first 36 minutes, getting outscored 14-0 over a 6-minute stretch spanning the second and third quarters.

Reserve Arron Afflalo scored 18 for the Nuggets, who were held more than 27 points below their season average.

The loss kept Denver’s George Karl tied with Red Auerbach for eighth on the NBA all-time coaching wins list with 938.

Wade started slowly, and it didn’t matter. He missed his first five shots, not getting one to drop until 1:34 remained in the first half. His jumper with 4:12 left in the third gave him 11 points, extending his Heat-record streak of consecutive double-digit games to 100.

The tempo clearly went Miami’s way throughout.

Denver came in averaging 53.8 first-half points. The Nuggets didn’t even come close to that Friday, shooting only 14 of 34 from the field and going into the break down 50-38.

It was the fourth time in six games Denver trailed at halftime. Each of the other three were by a point.

Not this one, not even close.

There wouldn’t be a comeback, either.

Miami scored 17 of the first half’s final 22 points to take a 50-38 lead, getting a great sequence from both ends to finish with a flourish. Haslem blocked Malik Allen — a former Heat teammate — under the basket, Wade pushed the ball the other way and found Chalmers for a 3-pointer with 36.4 seconds left, giving Miami the 12-point lead.

And the Heat just kept rolling after halftime.

Wade made a jumper 20 seconds into the third quarter, matching his total field goal showing from the entire first half. Chalmers then made another 3-pointer, and O’Neal connected off an assist from Wade for a 57-38 lead, capping what was a 24-5 spurt over a span of about 9 minutes.

Once Chalmers got into a groove, he put together his best stretch of the season.

All in a span of about 2 minutes, he got past Chauncey Billups for a reverse layup, made another 3-pointer (he was 6 for 7 from the field at the time) and split the lane with a nifty bounce pass to O’Neal for a 68-44 lead with 5:18 left in the third.

It did get a bit interesting down the stretch: Afflalo’s layup with 3:47 left made it 93-82, the closest Denver had been since late in the first half. But the Heat held the ball for more than a minute on one late possession, offensive rebounds by Haslem and Richardson helping seal the win.

Adding to Denver’s rough night, Kenyon Martin left in the second quarter with what the team said was a lower left leg contusion.

NOTES: A pregame moment of silence was held for those killed Thursday at Fort Hood. … Denver was again without J.R. Smith, still suspended by the NBA. He made 19 3-pointers in his last five games against Miami. … Celeb night: Flo Rida was seated next to Wade’s mother, Jolinda, who was celebrating her 55th birthday. Other stars: Lil’ Wayne, Jon Secada and former University of Miami standout Bryant McKinnie of the Minnesota Vikings.