A return of the usual Dwyane Wade, combined with a glimpse of the old Penny Hardaway.
Suddenly, the Miami Heat don't look so bad.
Wade scored 23 points, Hardaway added 16 in his best game since returning to the NBA, and the Heat beat the New Jersey Nets, 91-87, last night in East Rutherford, N.J., for their second victory of the season.
Shaquille O'Neal had 18 points for the Heat, who snapped a three-game skid and sent the Nets to their fifth straight loss. Hardaway was 6 for 6 from the field, making three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.
"Finally, tonight it all came together. I've been working so hard," Hardaway said. "These last two games are huge because our confidence is at another level. We may be the most confident team at 2-8 in the history of the NBA. We know where we're going. We've got our leader back and we're taking great strides in the right direction."
Wade was only 4 for 17 from the floor in his third game of the season, but made 15 of 20 free throws before a clinching jumper in the final second.
"I'm not where I want to be but I'm happy to be playing and happy to help make a difference with my teammates," he said. "We're a different team when I'm in the game, of course. I bring a different element to the team with my driving ability, to get my teammates shots and to put pressure on the defense."
Mavericks 108, Grizzlies 105 - Josh Howard matched his season high with 27 points, 6 during a key fourth-quarter stretch, and Dallas remained unbeaten at home.
Jason Terry hit a 3-pointer and Howard scored 6 points during a 12-2 run that gave the Mavericks a 101-91 lead with 3:31 left. But the Grizzlies fought back with a 10-0 run capped by Mike Miller's 3-point shot and a 3-point play by Miller with 1:13 left to tie it at 101.
Dirk Nowitzki's basket with 1:01 remaining put Dallas ahead, Rudy Gay scored on the other end to tie it at 103, then Nowitzki connected on two free throws to give the Mavericks a 105-103 lead.
Devin Harris (19 points) stole the ball from Pau Gasol on Memphis's next possession, and Harris converted one of two free throws for a 106-103 advantage with 17.5 seconds to play.
Juan Carlos Navarro's two foul shots with 10.2 seconds left pulled Memphis within 106-105.
Nowitzki's two free throws with eight seconds remaining extended Dallas's lead to 108-105, and Navarro missed two open 3-pointers in the final 3.5 seconds.
Wizards 109, Trail Blazers 90 - Antawn Jamison had 30 points to lead host Washington.
About an hour before the start of the game, the Wizards said that Gilbert Arenas, who had surgery on his left knee in April, would miss the game with soreness.
Hornets 100, Timberwolves 82 - Peja Stojakovic scored 22 points, Morris Peterson had 18, and visiting New Orleans, playing without star point guard Chris Paul (sprained ankle), beat Minnesota for its fifth straight win.
Bobcats 100, SuperSonics 84 - Gerald Wallace scored 27 points, Jason Richardson added 23, and host Charlotte wore down weary Seattle.
Suns 115, Rockets 105 - Steve Nash had 19 points and 15 assists and visiting Phoenix won its fifth straight.
Pacers 117, Jazz 97 - Mike Dunleavy scored 25 points, and host Indiana snapped a six-game losing streak.
Bucks 105, Hawks 96 - Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd each scored 21 points to lead host Milwaukee past Atlanta, extending the Hawks' road losing streak to 17 games.
Nuggets 115, Knicks 83 - Carmelo Anthony had 24 points and Allen Iverson added 23 as host Denver won its fifth straight.
Bulls 92, Clippers 73 - Ben Gordon scored 25 points and Andres Nocioni shrugged off a couple of flagrant fouls to score 21, leading visiting Chicago to a rout of Los Angeles. Chris Kaman had 21 points for the Clippers.
