"Everybody remembers that three he hit in the corner, and the free throws (that tied the game at 107 and sent it into the first overtime)," coach Erik Spoelstra said. "But I loved all the intangibles and the things you might not think of right away when you think of James Jones. But toughness, veteran plays, those three loose balls for offensive rebounds where he got fouled. Even the screens. He was setting great screens to get Jermaine (O'Neal) into the post."

Luther Head, acquired on March 4 after being waived by Houston, also played big minutes.

"I liked his defensive speed and activity," Spoelstra said. "Actually, the minutes he was guarding (Kyle) Korver were pretty efficient even though he had a size disadvantage.

"He was quick to get to him. He was very aggressive defensively, which I liked, and offensively he was doing some things we've always liked about him."

Others such as Daequan Cook, Michael Beasley, Jamaal Magloire, Yakhouba Diawara, Chris Quinn and Joel Anthony have also played major roles recently although their statistical contributions have been minor.

The Heat is regularly playing 10 or 11 players per game, and Spoelstra has been making it work.

"It's been a positive thing for us we've been able to use that flexibility and versatility to our advantage," Spoelstra said.

76ERS 85, HEAT 77: The Heat couldn't overcome the fatigue associated with a back-to-back set of home-road games that both had 1 p.m. starts. Consequently, it didn't have the energy to compete with Philadelphia on Sunday, especially after going three overtimes in Saturday's 140-129 home victory against Utah.

Miami was outscored, 24-9, in the fourth quarter.

"I can't really say what happened in the fourth quarter, whether it was fatigue or the shots just didn't fall," forward Udonis Haslem said.

Dwyane Wade ended with 18 points, four rebounds and three assists ending his franchise-record streak of 21 consecutive games with 20 or more points.