Box Score

 

MIAMI (109)

                          fg    ft    rb             
                   min   m-a   m-a   o-t   a  pf   tp
E Jones             43  7-13   4-5   1-3   5   4   21
U Haslem            30   2-7   5-6  6-12   1   3    9
S O'Neal            40 11-19  3-13  5-10   2   4   25
D Wade              44 10-21   2-4   1-8  10   3   22
D Jones             36  6-11   2-2   0-4   4   3   18
C Laettner          19   3-5   0-0   0-2   3   2    6
R Butler             6   0-3   0-0   1-2   0   1    0
K Dooling           13   2-3   0-0   0-0   0   3    4
M Doleac             7   2-5   0-0   1-2   0   1    4
S Anderson           2   0-0   0-0   0-1   0   0    0
W Person           DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                               
Wang               DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                               
  
_____________________________________________________
TOTALS             240 43-87 16-30 15-44  25  24  109
_____________________________________________________

Percentages: FG-.494, FT-.533. 3-Point Goals:
7-18, .389 (E Jones 3-7, D Wade 0-1, D Jones 
4-8, C Laettner 0-1, K Dooling 0-1). Team 
Rebounds: 13. Blocked Shots:5 (S O'Neal 2, E 
Jones, C Laettner, R Butler). Turnovers:11 (D
Wade 5, E Jones 2, S O'Neal, U Haslem, M 
Doleac, D Jones). Steals: 5 (E Jones, M 
Doleac, D Jones, K Dooling, D Wade).


SACRAMENTO (107)

                          fg    ft    rb             
                   min   m-a   m-a   o-t   a  pf   tp
P Stojakovic        43  7-18   2-2   1-7   2   4   19
C Webber            40 11-24   4-4   0-4   3   3   26
B Miller            20   2-7   6-6   1-7   5   5   10
D Christie          30  3-10   0-0   3-5   7   0    6
M Bibby             45  7-19   7-8   3-5   8   2   21
G Ostertag          22   2-2   1-5  2-10   3   4    5
M Evans             25  5-10   1-2   7-8   1   4   12
D Songaila          15   3-5   2-2   4-6   1   0    8
B Jackson          DNP  - TORN LIGAMENT LEFT WRIST                       
K Martin           DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                               
M Barnes           DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                               
E Daniels          DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                               
  
_____________________________________________________
TOTALS             240 40-95 23-29 21-52  30  22  107
_____________________________________________________

Percentages: FG-.421, FT-.793. 3-Point Goals:
4-11, .364 (P Stojakovic 3-6, C Webber 0-1, M
Bibby 0-3, M Evans 1-1). Team Rebounds: 10. 
Blocked Shots:3 (G Ostertag, M Bibby, D 
Songaila). Turnovers:7 (D Christie 2, M Evans
2, C Webber, M Bibby, P Stojakovic). Steals: 
7 (C Webber 2, P Stojakovic 2, D Christie, M 
Evans, M Bibby).

--------------------------------------------
MIAMI                 21  31  29  28  -  109
SACRAMENTO            34  23  26  24  -  107
-------------------------------------------- 

Technical fouls: Miami - 1 (D Wade, 1:57 
3rd). Sacramento - 2 (D Christie, 1:19 2nd; D
Christie (ejected), 1:57 3rd).
Flagrant fouls: None. A: 17,317. T: 2:30. 
Officials: Bennett Salvatore, Scott Foster, 
Zak Zarba.

Extended Box

 

MIAMI (109) AT SACRAMENTO (107)

MIAMI

                                               REBOUNDS                        
PLAYER           POS  MIN  FGM-FGA  FTM-FTA  OFF-DEF-TOT  AST  PF  ST  TO  PTS
======           ===  ===  =======  =======  ===========  ===  ==  ==  ==  ===
 
E JONES           F    43    7-13     4-5      1   2   3    5   4   1   2   21
U HASLEM          F    30    2-7      5-6      6   6  12    1   3   0   1    9
S O'NEAL          C    40   11-19     3-13     5   5  10    2   4   0   1   25
D WADE            G    44   10-21     2-4      1   7   8   10   3   1   5   22
D JONES           G    36    6-11     2-2      0   4   4    4   3   1   1   18
C LAETTNER             19    3-5      0-0      0   2   2    3   2   0   0    6
R BUTLER                6    0-3      0-0      1   1   2    0   1   0   0    0
K DOOLING              13    2-3      0-0      0   0   0    0   3   1   0    4
M DOLEAC                7    2-5      0-0      1   1   2    0   1   1   1    4
S ANDERSON              2    0-0      0-0      0   1   1    0   0   0   0    0
W PERSON              DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                                         
WANG                  DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                                         
  
TOTALS                240   43-87    16-30    15  29  44   25  24   5  11  109
                            (.494)  (.533)  TEAM REBS: 13 TOTAL TO: 11 (13 PTS)    

SACRAMENTO

                                               REBOUNDS                         
PLAYER           POS  MIN  FGM-FGA  FTM-FTA  OFF-DEF-TOT  AST  PF  ST  TO  PTS
======           ===  ===  =======  =======  ===========  ===  ==  ==  ==  ===
 
P STOJAKOVIC      F    43    7-18     2-2      1   6   7    2   4   2   1   19
C WEBBER          F    40   11-24     4-4      0   4   4    3   3   2   1   26
B MILLER          C    20    2-7      6-6      1   6   7    5   5   0   0   10
D CHRISTIE        G    30    3-10     0-0      3   2   5    7   0   1   2    6
M BIBBY           G    45    7-19     7-8      3   2   5    8   2   1   1   21
G OSTERTAG             22    2-2      1-5      2   8  10    3   4   0   0    5
M EVANS                25    5-10     1-2      7   1   8    1   4   1   2   12
D SONGAILA             15    3-5      2-2      4   2   6    1   0   0   0    8
B JACKSON             DNP  - TORN LIGAMENT LEFT WRIST                                 
K MARTIN              DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                                         
M BARNES              DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                                         
E DANIELS             DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                                         
  
TOTALS                240   40-95    23-29    21  31  52   30  22   7   7  107
                            (.421)  (.793)  TEAM REBS: 10 TOTAL TO: 8 (11 PTS)     
  
   MIAMI              21   31   29   28   -   109
   SACRAMENTO         34   23   26   24   -   107
  
BLOCKED SHOTS: MIAMI - S O'NEAL 2, E JONES, C LAETTNER, R BUTLER.  SACRAMENTO -
G OSTERTAG, M BIBBY, D SONGAILA.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: MIAMI 7-18 (.389), E JONES 3-7, D WADE 0-1, D JONES 4-
8, C LAETTNER 0-1, K DOOLING 0-1. SACRAMENTO 4-11 (.364), P STOJAKOVIC 3-
6, C WEBBER 0-1, M BIBBY 0-3, M EVANS 1-1.
TECHNICAL FOULS: MIAMI - D WADE. SACRAMENTO - D CHRISTIE 2.
FLAGRANT FOULS: NONE.
OFFICIALS: BENNETT SALVATORE, SCOTT FOSTER, ZAK ZARBA.
A - 17,317. T - 2:30.

Game Story

SACRAMENTO, California (Ticker) -- Damon Jones will go down as a minor footnote in Sacramento Kings history for his short stint with the team three seasons ago.  Shaquille O'Neal will always be remembered for his major role in damaging the Kings'
championship hopes in years past.

On Thursday, the two teamed up to deliver more misery to Sacramento.

Jones finished a hot-shooting fourth quarter with a decisive 3-pointer in the final minute and O'Neal made a critical block to preserve the edge as the Miami Heat rallied for their 10th straight win, a 109-107 victory over the Kings.

Miami trailed 101-89 with 5:23 remaining after Kings forward Peja Stojakovic hit two free throws.  But the Heat stepped up on the defensive end and overwhelmed the undermanned Kings in the final minutes.

"All I know is that we're a team that hangs in and has a lot of resolve," Miami Coach Stan Van Gundy said. "That will get you something.  We've had enough good fourth quarters that we're not going to quit down 12."

With the victory, Miami has matched Phoenix for the league's longest winning streak this season and is just one win shy of matching the franchise record of 11 set during the 1996-97 season.

"We knew we had two tough games on this road trip and didn't want to overlook this one going into Saturday's," O'Neal said, referring to the Heat's meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas day. "We just played good team ball, just hung in there and played good defense."

Sacramento came into the game 7-0 at ARCO Arena this season against Eastern Conference opponents, and 50-2 over its last four seasons.

Jones played in 49 games for the 2001-02 Sacramento team that lost to O'Neal's Lakers squad in a thrilling seven-game Western Conference Finals.  With O'Neal filling the middle in Miami this season, Jones has emerged as a dangerous outside threat. 

Leading the league in made 3-pointers with 84, Jones drained one of his biggest to cap a fourth-quarter comeback.  After Peja Stojakovic, who ranks second with 70 3-pointers, hit from the arc to give the Kings a 107-106 lead with 35.3 seconds left, Jones answered quickly with his fourth 3-pointer with 23.4 seconds remaining for the final margin.

"(The fans) had been telling me, 'keep shooting, keep shooting,'
because I had been missing.  I just kindly told them to let sleeping dogs lie," Jones said.

Jones' shot finished a 20-6 closing run, during which he scored eight points.

O'Neal, who scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, atoned for two missed free throws with 10.9 seconds left with a block of Mike Bibby's runner in the final seconds.  Kings forward Chris Webber shot an airball on a long 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

Already without guard Bobby Jackson, who will miss three months because of wrist surgery, the Kings lost center Brad Miller to a shin laceration late in the first quarter and guard Doug Christie to an ejection in the third.  Miller returned but scored just 10 points in 20 minutes and missed a potential game-tying jumper with 11 seconds left.

"(Miller's) injury was nasty.  We saw body parts you don't normally see," Webber said. "Doug getting ejected, on what I don't think was a technical - that was tough."

Webber scored 26 points and Bibby added 21 for Sacramento, which fell to 2-2 on its current five-game homestand.  

The Kings got a boost from their thing bench in Maurice Evans.  Evans, an unheralded free agent signing who played in Italy last season, had career highs with 12 points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes.

The Heat have outshot their opponents in 16 straight games, matching the 1992 Boston Celtics' run.  They shot 49 percent compared to the Kings' 42.