NEW YORK (AP) – LeBron James tied his playoff career high with 49 points, Chris Bosh made the tiebreaking three-pointer with 57 seconds left, and the Miami Heat beat the Brooklyn Nets 102-96 tonight for a 3-1 lead in the NBA Eastern Conference semi-finals.
James carried the Heat nearly the entire way until Bosh hit the shot that put Miami ahead for good. Ray Allen followed with four free throws and James finished it off with one more, putting the Heat in position to wrap it up at home Wednesday in Game 5.
James was 16 of 24 from the field and 14 of 19 from the free throw line in matching the 49 points he scored for Cleveland against Orlando in the 2009 Eastern Conference finals. He missed his second free throw with 1.1 seconds left, muttering to himself after it fell out.
Joe Johnson scored 18 points for the Nets, who were 15 of 25 from three-point range in their Game 3 victory but only five of 22 in this one. Paul Pierce scored 16 points, while Deron Williams and Shaun Livingston each had 13.
Dwyane Wade scored 15 points on the night his Heat postseason record of 46 points was shattered. Bosh finished with 12.
Miami pulled out a thrilling victory in a game neither team led by double digits and have won at least one road game in 14 straight series, breaking the record set by the Chicago Bulls from 1991-94.
