Wade scores 45 in Heat's 125-119 win over Rockets

[December 30, 2010]  HOUSTON (AP) -- Dwyane Wade scored 45 points and the Miami Heat extended their road winning streak to 10 games with a 125-119 win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.

Wade shook off a hard foul from Aaron Brooks early in the fourth quarter to reach 40 points for the 30th time in his career.

He hit 17 of 24 shots, went 10 for 10 from the free-throw line and pulled down seven rebounds one night after scoring 40 points in a 106-98 win over the New York Knicks.

Wade reached 45 points for the eighth time, and hit 40 points on consecutive nights for the first time in his career.

LeBron James scored 20 points and had nine assists and Chris Bosh scored 21 points for the Heat, who set a franchise record with their 15th win in December.

The Heat have won 16 of their past 17 overall. The Rockets were the first opponent to reach 100 points in that span.

Luis Scola scored 22 points, Kevin Martin had 21 and Brooks added 20 points and nine assists for the Rockets, who had an eight-game home winning streak snapped.

The Heat led 92-89 when Wade took an outlet pass from Bosh and sprinted for a dunk. Brooks smacked Wade in the face on the way up, and Wade fell to the floor. He stayed face-down on the floor for several seconds, but eventually got up and walked to bench with a towel covering a cut on his upper lip.

Wade said after the game that he was angry about the foul, adding that he would need stitches to repair the cut.

But the injury didn't slow him down at all.

About two minutes after the hit, Wade drove into Brad Miller, hit an awkward layup and converted another three-point play to push the Heat's lead to 100-93.

Houston closed the gap to four, but Mario Chalmers made a 3 and James hit a pull-up jumper to extend the lead again.

Wade then swatted the ball away from Scola, and finished a fast break with a layup to reach 40 points for the second straight game. He slipped past Scola for another layup on the Heat's next trip, got fouled by Jordan Hill and hit the free throw for a 115-105 lead.

Joel Anthony clinched it for Miami with four free throws in the final 34 seconds.

Miami shot 58 percent from the field (43 of 74), but couldn't shake the Rockets, who scored 61 points in the first half, a season high for a Miami opponent.

James' first shot was an airball from the corner, but Miami still jumped to a 13-5 lead.

Kyle Lowry picked up his second foul with 6:14 left in the first quarter and was replaced by Brooks, who was playing his fifth game since recovering from a severely sprained ankle.

Wade scored 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting in the quarter, and Miami led 35-28. James had only six points in the first quarter, but had six assists.

With James and Wade on the bench, Houston scored on its first four possessions of the second quarter to pull even at 37. Bosh scored the next five points to move Miami ahead again.

Brooks set a fast tempo and the Rockets scored 34 points in the second quarter to take a 62-59 lead to the break. Brooks had 12 points and five assists in the half, and Chuck Hayes added nine points with six rebounds.

Hayes stole the ball from Wade in the last minute of the second quarter and fed Martin for a dunk. Wade swished a jumper from the top of the key with six seconds left, giving him 24 points at the break.

Lowry and Martin opened the second half with 3-pointers to stretch Houston's lead to seven. The Rockets hit 7 of their first 11 shots out of halftime and hit 80 points with 5 1/2 minutes left in the third. The Heat came in giving up only 91 points per game.

James swished a pair of jumpers and James Jones hit a pull-up 3-pointer during a 14-4 Miami spurt and the Heat surged to an 88-84 lead. Miami hit 12 of 18 shots in the third quarter.

NOTES: The Heat set a franchise record with their 10th road win of the month. ... Wade has a steal in 11 consecutive games. ... Martin has scored at least 20 points in seven straight games. ... Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Texans Pro Bowl receiver Andre Johnson and four-time All-Star outfielder Carl Crawford attended the game.

[Associated Press; By CHRIS DUNCAN]

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.