winning shot with 2.9 seconds remaining Wednesday as the Miami Heat rallied to edge Charlotte Bobcats 96-95 in a National Basketball Association game. Playing their second game in as many nights, the star-studded Heat didn't display the speedy, aggressive attack that saw them post convincing victories over reigning champions Dallas Sunday and Eastern Conference rivals Boston Tuesday. Charlotte leapt to an 11-0 lead and stretched the advantage to 60-45 at halftime. Wade missed most of the third quarter with a bruised left foot, and he admitted he was surprised coach Erik Spoelstra tabbed him to take the decisive shot since he had scored just eight points while LeBron James poured in 35 on the night. The Heat improved to 3-0 in the young, lockout-shortened season, and Spoelstra was pleased to see his players fight through adversity. Spurs 115, Clippers 90: The San Antonio Spurs, not quite ready to be written off as too old and too slow to claim an NBA crown, routed the Los Angeles Clippers 115-90. Manu Ginobili scored 24 points, leading six Spurs players who scored in double figures. DeJuan Blair added 20 and Richard Jefferson chipped in with 19. Tony Parker scored 14 points with nine assists, Tim Duncan scored 10 with eight rebounds and James Anderson added 12 off the bench as the Spurs shot 56.3 percent from the field. The Spurs also made all 15 of their free throws, but coach Gregg Popovich said defense was the real key to the victory. The Clippers have been touted as a potential new power in the Western Conference after the arrival of All-Star point guard Chris Paul to team with Blake Griffin, the explosive talent who earned Rookie of the Year honors last season. Griffin led the Clippers with 28 points, while Paul scored 10 on 3-of-10 shooting. Pacers 90, Raptors 85: The Toronto Raptors delivered every ounce of effort they promised fans before their NBA home opener against Indiana, but it would not be enough to secure the victory as the Pacers ran out 90-85 winners. All five of Indiana's starters finished with double digits, led by 21 points from Danny Granger, to maintain their unbeaten start to the lockout-shortened season, while the Raptors dropped to 1-1. Paul George contributed 18 points to the victory while David West had 14 and Roy Hibbert 12 to go along with 10 rebounds as the Pacers (2-0) fought off a spirited fourth quarter rally. On a frosty night better suited to ice hockey than basketball, Toronto fans gave the Raptors a warm welcome back showing no signs of any lingering grudges from a bitter labor dispute. The opening night festivities began with the team thanking fans for their support and Jamaal Magloire, the first Canadian to play for Raptors, telling the crowd they would get a good effort every night for their money. In other games it was: Atlanta 101 Washington 83; Cleveland 105 Detroit 89; Oklahoma City 98 Memphis 95; New Orleans 97 Boston 78; Denver 117 Utah 100; Philadelphia 103 Phoenix 83; Golden State 92 NY Knicks 78.
