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MIAMI -- There were 38 lead changes -- the most in the NBA this season and the second most in the league in the past 10 years. There was crazy athleticism all over the court with young dunkers, leapers and shot-blockers such as guard Russell Westbrook and forward Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder and center Hassan Whiteside of the Miami Heat.
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Yet it was Old Man Wade -- officially, that is 33-year-old guard Dwyane Wade -- who made the winning plays, leading the Heat to a 97-95 win Thursday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Wade scored a game-high 28 points, including two game-winning free throws with 1.5 seconds left.
"He somehow found daylight," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Wade's drive to the basket that drew a foul on forward Serge Ibaka. "I'm surprised he found energy to jump.
"Dwyane is a proven Hall of Fame talent, particularly in the fourth quarter. He's going to have the courage to make plays."
Thunder coach Billy Donovan also praised Wade.
"It was actually good defense by Serge," Donovan said, "but Wade did a great job of drawing contact."
Wade scored Miami's final eight points and then guarded Westbrook on the game's final play. The Thunder star badly missed a rushed 3-pointer at the buzzer.
"That felt like the playoffs," Wade said of the back-and-forth affair. "That was our best game of the year from start to finish. They have two of the greatest players in our game (Durant and Westbrook). They have a great team."
The Heat, the leaders of the Southeast Division, improved to 11-6.
Oklahoma City, leading the Northwest Division, fell to 11-8 despite 25 points each by Durant and Westbrook.
Durant had his ups and downs. He was in foul trouble early and then was hit with a technical foul in the second quarter when he got in the face of Heat guard Goran Dragic. Durant, who was attempting to alley-oop dunk on the play in question, was upset that Dragic stuck out his backside to bump him as he flew by.
"I was just trying to add more flair to the game," Durant joked when asked about the incident after the game.
In addition to that controversial play, Durant also missed a 3-pointer at the top of the key with nine seconds left in the game and the score tied 95-95. He was guarded by Miami rookie forward Justise Winslow on the play, and Heat forward Chris Bosh grabbed the rebound.
"I had (Winslow) shifting a little bit," Durant said, defending his choice of shot in that situation. "I shoot 47 percent from three, and I got a wide-open look. I just missed."
Asked about the Miami rookie, Durant said: "I like Winslow. He's strong. He's aggressive. But I felt I got every shot I wanted."
Meanwhile, Whiteside had 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. He had a spectacular end-to-end sequence in the second quarter, scoring on an alley-oop dunk that was thrown behind him and then blocking Durant's layup despite trailing the play on a fastbreak.
Whiteside, who leads the NBA in blocked shots, had two goaltending calls go against him in the first half.
Oklahoma City took an odd route to a 28-23 lead after the first period. Durant picked up two quick fouls and exited the game, scoring just two points in 4:30 for the quarter.
"It was frustrating," Durant said. "I felt I played great defense on both of those plays."
The Thunder went on a 7-0 run without Durant. Westbrook had 15 points in the period, including a sensational dunk off a steal in the open court.
Oklahoma City led 51-50 at halftime, as Miami managed to make just seven of 15 foul shots in the first two quarters. That negated the Heat shooting 53 percent from the floor.
Thunder center Enes Kanter had a humbling first half. He had one of his shots viciously blocked by Heat forward Josh McRoberts. If that weren't bad enough for Kanter, he was nearly dunked on by guard Tyler Johnson, who soared over him but lost control of the ball just as he prepared to throw it down.
Durant came alive in the third quarter, scoring 11 points, helping the Thunder take a 76-74 lead. His highlight was a cross-over move on McRoberts that ended with a left-handed dunk.
In the fourth quarter, Durant's 3-pointer with 1:36 left gave the Thunder their final lead, 95-93. Wade final eight-point flurry included a layup, a dunk, a floater and the two free throws.
Next up for Miami is a home game Saturday against ex-teammate LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Expect the usual big-time hype for a LeBron-Heat matchup, but Spoelstra isn't too interested in the topic just yet.
"When do we play?" Spoelstra joked. "Catch me tomorrow. I haven't even thought about it yet. ... We'll be there."
NOTES: First-year Thunder coach Billy Donovan coached Heat F Udonis Haslem at the University of Florida. Thursday's game was to be the first time they faced each other, but Haslem didn't play. ... Heat SF Luol Deng (hamstring) missed his fourth consecutive game. SF Gerald Green has started in his place each time. ... Miami sent F Jarnell Stokes back to the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA's Development League. ... The Thunder sent second-year C Mitch McGary to the Oklahoma City Blue of the Development League.
