Wade carries Heat to victory

Remember how bad Dwyane Wade and his Miami Heat teammates looked in Game 1 of the playoffs? They were that good in Game 2.

Wade scored 33 points, 13 straight to close the first half, and banked in a three-point shot with 2 1/2 minutes left to finish off the Atlanta Hawks in a 108-93 victory Wednesday night in Atlanta that evened the series at 1-1.

After scoring only 19 points to open the best-of-seven series Sunday in a 90-64 blowout, Wade eclipsed his point total by halftime.

“He set the tone,” Miami Coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Before I came out to talk to the team, right before the game, there was some joking and laughing in the locker room and I heard him tell everybody to shut up and get their minds on the game.”

After trailing by as many as 18 points, the Hawks twice closed within five points -- but never got over the hump. Wade delivered the decisive blow when, with the shot clock running down, he threw up a long three. The shot was errant, but it banked in off the backboard, giving the Heat a 101-91 lead.

Unlike the loss in Game 1, when only one other Miami player scored in double figures, Wade had plenty of help this time. Daequan Cook scored 20 points, going six for nine from three-point range. Jermaine O’Neal scored 19 points, Michael Beasley added 12 and Udonis Haslem 10.

Mike Bibby led the Hawks with 18 points, but Atlanta shot only 44%.

Orlando 96, Philadelphia 87 -- Rookie Courtney Lee had 24 points, Hedo Turkoglu scored 16 and the host Magic blew another 18-point lead before beating the 76ers to even the series at 1-1.

Dwight Howard had 11 points and 10 rebounds but fouled out late, and Rashard Lewis made a pair of jumpers in the final minutes to help Orlando get its fourth win in five chances against Philadelphia this season.

Andre Miller had 30 points, and Andre Iguodala scored 20 of his 21 points in the second half for the 76ers, who closed the gap to five points and almost erased the same deficit they faced in the series opener. Game 3 is Friday in Philadelphia.

Denver 108, New Orleans 93 -- Chauncey Billups scored 31 points to lead the host Nuggets to their second blowout win against the Hornets.

The best-of-seven series shifts to New Orleans for Game 3 on Saturday with Denver holding only the third 2-0 edge in its 33-year NBA history.

Carmelo Anthony, quiet in Game 1 with 13 points on four-for-12 shooting, scored 22 points and handed out nine assists. J.R. Smith added 15 points.

David West scored 21 points to lead the Hornets.