MIAMI -- Dwyane Wade had 25 points and nine assists, including a big layup with 1 minute left, and the Miami Heat moved a step away from their closest pursuers in the Eastern Conference playoff race by beating the Philadelphia 76ers 97-91 on Saturday.
Jermaine O'Neal finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in his second game with the Heat, who also got 13 points and 10 rebounds from Udonis Haslem and 12 points from Jamario Moon. Andre Miller had 30 points and nine rebounds, and Louis Williams scored 22 off the bench for Philadelphia.
Andre Iguodala scored 14 and Marreese Speights added 12 for Philadelphia.
Miami trailed 87-84 after Miller hit a pair of free throws with 2:52 left, but rallied with eight consecutive points. Wade found Haslem for a jumper with 1:33 left, then capped the burst with a layup.
Miller's layup with 22.9 seconds left drew Philadelphia within 92-91, but with the 76ers down three, Williams airballed a 3-pointer with 15 seconds left, and Wade followed with two free throws.
Miami not only gained a bit of separation from Detroit and Philadelphia, but closed within 2 1/2 games of Atlanta for the coveted No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference.
Miller started to extend the NBA's longest current streak of games played to 502. He's missed only three games in his 10-year career.
