Duncan Has His Way With O’Neal Still Out

With Shaquille O’Neal dressed in a white suit and sitting on the bench, the Miami Heat had nobody to stop Tim Duncan inside.

Duncan scored 28 points and Manu Ginobili had 27, and the Spurs dominated in the paint to beat the Miami Heat, 98-84, Wednesday night at San Antonio.

Dwyane Wade scored 31 points but got little help from the rest of the Heat, which shot 36% from the field and had no answer for Duncan. O’Neal, who sprained his ankle Nov. 3 in the Heat’s home opener, remained on the inactive list.

“We have to attack down low, especially with Shaq out,” Duncan said. “That’s got to be a big play for us.”

The Spurs scored 54 points in the paint compared with 22 for the Heat. Tony Parker had a season-high 11 assists and scored 14 points for the Spurs.

San Antonio led by three points after the first quarter, but Gary Payton made two quick jump shots to begin the second and Antoine Walker’s layup gave the Heat its first lead with 9:19 to go. The Heat tied the score twice before the Spurs went on a game-breaking 20-5 run, including nine points by Ginobili in the final 2:11 of the half.

Heat center Michael Doleac was ejected with 5:25 left in the third quarter for a flagrant foul on Parker. Parker’s ensuing free throws gave San Antonio a 20-point lead, its largest.

Meanwhile, O’Neal joined the shoot-around but wouldn’t predict when he expects to play again.

Phoenix 118, Golden State 110 -- Steve Nash had 28 points and 14 assists, and Shawn Marion had 27 points and 14 rebounds at Oakland to help the Suns extend the league’s longest current winning streak to eight while ending the Warriors’ five-game streak.

Baron Davis had 28 points before fouling out for the Warriors, who lost despite 18 points from Derek Fisher, who played in a three-guard starting lineup because of forward Troy Murphy’s illness. Mike Dunleavy had a season-high 21 points and nine rebounds but committed two fouls and made a key turnover in the final minutes.

Minnesota 84, Portland 74 -- Kevin Garnett had 16 points and 14 rebounds, and the Timberwolves erased a 14-point second-half deficit to finish a four-game trip unbeaten.

Zach Randolph had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who have lost six in a row.

Chicago 102, Orlando 93 -- Jannero Pargo, filling in for Kirk Hinrich (concussion), scored a season-high 23 points and Luol Deng had 22 as the Bulls went on a late 11-1 run to win at Orlando, Fla.

Dwight Howard had 17 points and 16 rebounds for the Magic, which has lost five in a row.

Milwaukee 88, Philadelphia 85 -- Andrew Bogut’s go-ahead putback with 10.7 seconds left at Philadelphia helped the Bucks prevail despite blowing an 18-point first-half lead.

Michael Redd scored 24 points for Milwaukee, which trailed, 71-65, after three quarters. Allen Iverson had 23 points for the 76ers, who lost their fourth in a row.

Utah 95, Atlanta 83 -- Andrei Kirilenko scored 14 points and matched his career high of 10 assists at Salt Lake City to help the Jazz end a four-game home losing streak.

Matt Harpring had a season-high 30 points for the Jazz on 13-for-17 shooting. Salim Stoudamire had 15 points for Atlanta, off to the worst start (2-16) in team history.

New Jersey 97, Charlotte 84 -- Vince Carter overcame a sore ankle and knee to score 23 points at Charlotte, N.C., for the Nets. Brevin Knight had 23 points for the Bobcats.

Boston 101, New Orleans 87 -- Paul Pierce had 28 points and 12 rebounds, and the Celtics never trailed in winning at Oklahoma City. David West had 29 points for the Hornets, whose three-game home winning streak ended.