LeBron James had received plenty of help from Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, and now he had to finish it on his own.
With what Wade called the loudest crowd he’d ever heard booing, certain James had just fouled Kevin Durant, the league’s MVP walked to the free throw line with 7.1 seconds left and the Miami Heat’s huge lead down to two points.
The guy who has endured too many fourth-quarter failures wasn’t letting another NBA Finals game get away.
James made both free throws, completing a 12-for-12 performance at the line and a 32-point night, and the Heat held on for a 100-96 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night that evened the series at one game apiece.
“On a big stage like this in a big game like this, every point counts, every point matters. So you go to the free throw line, no matter how hostile the environment, and try to knock them down,” James said.
Wade rebounded from a poor opener to add 24 points and Bosh had 16 points and 15 rebounds in his return to the starting lineup for the Heat, who needed a big night from their Big Three to snap a fourgame finals losing streak with their first victory since Game 3 against Dallas last year.
Now the Heat go home to host Game 3 on Sunday and the next two after that, knowing they don’t have to hear the noisy Thunder fans again — not to mention all their critics — if they win all three.
Durant scored 32 points for the Thunder, but missed a short jumper with 9.9 seconds left after appearing to be bumped by James. The basket would have tied a game the Thunder trailed the entire way.
Oklahoma City’s explosive point guard Russell Westbrook finished with 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, but shot 10 of 26 from the field.
James Harden tried to keep the Thunder in it early and finished with 21 points.
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