Bobcats Pull Off Upset of the Heat

There was plenty of blame to go around after the Miami Heat’s embarrassing loss to the expansion Charlotte Bobcats.

Shaquille O’Neal took it all on his shoulders.

“This one is my fault,” O’Neal said after the Bobcats beat Miami, 94-92, Saturday night at Charlotte, N.C.

“I’ve got to get the guys more ready. We took them too lightly, and I take the blame. As the leader of the team, it’s my job to get the guys fired up. It won’t ever happen again.”

Too bad the blame didn’t really fall on O’Neal.

“He had 26 points and 16 rebounds,” Charlotte’s Emeka Okafor said of O’Neal. “I don’t know what else he could have done. How much energy can he possibly bring?”

The reality is this one wasn’t O’Neal’s fault. The Heat was flat from the start and had to play catch-up throughout the game.

Then, with a chance to tie at the end of regulation, Dwyane Wade took a three-point shot from the corner instead of looking for an easier shot.

His miss led to a Bobcat celebration, while the Heat filed off in shock as Eddie Jones got in Wade’s face, lecturing him that the final shot did not have to be a three-point try.

“He simply did not know the score,” Heat Coach Stan Van Gundy said of Wade. “He was the only guy who did not know the score.”

Wade, who had 35 points in Miami’s 125-115 victory over Phoenix on Friday night, finished with 19 against Charlotte, then struggled to explain his final shot.

“Stuff just happened so fast I can’t even tell you what I was thinking,” Wade said. “When I got the ball, I looked up and was thinking three, but at the same time it doesn’t matter.

“We had an opportunity to win the game. I hit it and I’m the hero, but I missed it and I’m not.”

Primoz Brezec had a career-high 27 points and 11 rebounds to lead Charlotte.

Denver 113, Sacramento 99 -- Carmelo Anthony had 28 points and the host Nuggets won their sixth consecutive game to improve to 21-5 under Coach George Karl and move to within a game of Memphis for the No. 7 seeding in the Western Conference.

“I don’t have to take or make shots like I had to last year when I had to carry this team on my back,” Anthony said.

Peja Stojakovic led Sacramento with 28 points.

Chicago 100, Indiana 96 -- Eddy Curry scored a season-high 27 points and the host Bulls won their fifth game in a row. Curry scored 22 points in the first half on seven-for-seven shooting from the field.

Stephen Jackson had a season-high 34 points for the Pacers.

Dallas 117, Cleveland 86 -- Michael Finley scored 26 points, making all of his eight three-point shots, and the host Mavericks registered their largest margin of victory this season.

Keith Van Horn, who scored 23 points, was among six Mavericks to score in double figures. LeBron James’ 19 points led the Cavaliers.

Utah 94, Milwaukee 89 -- At Salt Lake City, Raja Bell scored a season-high 23 points to help Jerry Sloan move past Red Auerbach for sixth place on the coaching victory list with 939.

The Bucks finished 0-15 on the road against Western Conference teams.

Mo Williams, who spent his rookie season with the Jazz before leaving last summer as a restricted free agent, led the Bucks with 19 points.

Minnesota 96, New Jersey 75 -- Sam Cassell, who has sat out eight games this month because of a hamstring injury, scored 23 points in only 22 minutes to spark the Timberwolves at East Rutherford, N.J.

Toronto 109, Atlanta 104 -- Chris Bosh scored 32 points and Jalen Rose scored 26 to help the Raptors end a four-game road losing streak.

The Hawks, who have the NBA’s worst record at 11-58, have lost eight consecutive games and 21 of 22.

Detroit 105, Boston 99 -- Rasheed Wallace had seven of his season-high 31 points in overtime at Auburn Hills, Mich., to help the Pistons end a three-game losing streak.

Detroit’s Richard Hamilton had 22 points after sitting out three games because of an ankle injury.

Paul Pierce led Boston with 32 points, including all 11 of the Celtics’ points in overtime.

New Orleans 96, Memphis 85 -- J.R. Smith scored a career-high 33 points and the visiting Hornets ended a four-game skid and posted their first victory this season over a Southwest Division team.

The Hornets, who were 0-14 against Southwest opponents, avoided becoming the first NBA team to lose all of its division games.

Phoenix 118, Orlando 116 -- Shawn Marion had 27 points, Joe Johnson had 26 and Steve Nash 23, and the Suns sent the host Magic to its 10th defeat in 11 games.

Grant Hill had 26 points for Orlando and DeShawn Stevenson had 22. Steve Francis returned from a three-game suspension and scored 17 points.

Portland 103, New York 96 -- Damon Stoudamire had 25 points to lead the Trail Blazers, who handed the Knicks their 16th loss in their last 18 road games.