Dwyane Wade is an established All-Star and by all accounts, a clutch player when the game’s on the line.  In the Miami Heat’s game against the Sacramento Kings, he not only validated his All-Star credentials, but may have enhanced his chances of grabbing the NBA MVP award as he scored 10 of his 41 points in overtime, helping Miami defeat Sacramento 119-115 at Arco Arena.

Neither team shot very well overall, save for the first quarter as the Kings outscored Miami 30-25 in the first quarter while the Heat barely outscored the Kings in the second frame 33-32 as Sacramento took to their locker room a 62-58 lead into halftime.  The scoring dropped big-time as both teams combined for only 36 points as the Kings went into the final quarter with an 8-point advantage.

The excitement built towards the end of regulation as Hawes rallied the Kings in the final minute as he would hit a 3-pointer to get Sacramento to within a point with 10.4 seconds left in regulation.  After Miami’s Mario Chalmers made one of 2 free throws, Sacramento rushed down the court as Hawes connected to tie the game at 104 with 3.1 seconds left; Wade attempted a last-second shot but hit an airball as the game went into overtime. 

In the extra period, Wade went down, courtesy of a flagrant foul by Hawes; Wade would proceed to make just one of 2 from the free-throw line for a 112-110 lead; the Heat would hang on for the victory.  Miami’s high scorer was Wade with 41 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and a blocked shot while from off the bench, Michael Beasley added 23 with 10 rebounds and 2 assists.

Sacramento was led by John Salmons with 29 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal while Kevin Martin added 28 with 3 rebounds and 2 assists.  Miami (19-16) plays again on Sunday when they travel to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers while Sacramento (8-29) returns home to host the Dallas Mavericks – also on Sunday.