Notebook: Heat 107, Cavaliers 91

Posted Wednesday February 8, 2012 12:09AM

By Shandel Richardson, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: After leading by four points in the fourth quarter, the Miami Heat closed strong to capture a 107-91 victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Heat guard Dwyane Wade led all scorers with 26 points, with most of his production in the fourth quarter. Forward LeBron James finished with 24 points, five rebounds and six assists. Miami led 78-74 before taking control midway through the fourth quarter with a 14-4 run.

The Heat had five players in double-figures, including forward Chris Bosh with 15 points and guard Mario Chalmers and forward Udonis Haslem each scored 14.

The Cavaliers were playing their second straight game against an opponent from last year's NBA Finals. After defeating the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, they were a quarter from pulling off another upset.

Forward Antawn Jamison led Cleveland with 25 points.

QUOTABLE: "The final score was not indicative about how competitive and close that game was. That team is improved. They play hard, they compete. They're a tough team to put away. We did some things well on both ends of the court, but we did some things to allow them extra possessions to get back into the game."
-- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra

THE STAT: The Heat had 56 points in the paint. James and Wade were able to attack the rim throughout the game, and the Heat were once again effective in transition.

TURNING POINT: As they have so many times this season, the Heat flirted with being upset before making a strong run. This time it came in the form of a 14-4 stretch early in the fourth quarter.

QUOTABLE II: "Again, when you have Daniel Gibson, Anthony Parker and Tristan Thompson missing and then have to make adjustments on our starting unit, it makes a difference. Our second unit just couldn't make a basket -- they shot about 17 percent for the game."
-- Cavs coach Byron Scott

HOT: Wade seems fully recovered from the injuries that have caused him to miss nine games this season. He was 9-for-17 from the field, scoring eight points in the fourth quarter.

NOT: On several occasions, the Heat left open Cavs forward Luke Harangody. It proved to be the right move, with Harangody going just 1-for-9 from the field.

GOOD MOVE: With the Heat struggling, Spoelstra once again went to the small lineup. The Heat have proven effective when Bosh moves to center and is on the court with Haslem, Mike Miler, Wade and James. The lineup sparked the decisive run.

BAD MOVE: The Cavaliers lost track of Chalmers, especially in the second and third quarters. He made them pay for it, knocking down 4 of 9 from 3-point range. It's tough to stop the Heat when Wade, James and Bosh receive that kind of help.

NOTABLE: On Tuesday, the Heat waived center Mickell Gladness. ... Chalmers is 13-for-24 from 3-point range the last four games. ... Scott said Gibson (neck), Thompson (ankle) and Parker (back) are all moving closer to returning.

UP NEXT: For the Heat, Wednesday @ Orlando, Friday @ Washington, Sunday @ Atlanta. For the Cavs, Wednesday vs. L.A. Clippers, Friday vs. Milwaukee, Saturday vs. Philadelphia.