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Gerald Wallace scored 30 points, Walter Herrmann hit two big 3-pointers in the final minute and the Charlotte Bobcats ruined Dwyane Wade's return from a dislocated left shoulder by knocking off the Heat 111-103 in overtime on Sunday.
"It's exciting to get back, but at the end of the day, you always want to win. You always want to come back and help your team win," Wade said. "I came back and at times, I looked OK and at times, I didn't."
Wade played 27 minutes, scoring 12 points on 3-for-9 shooting from the field and 6-for-12 from the foul line -- part of a costly Heat effort from the stripe. Miami was 26-of-44 from the line and that, combined with a season-high 26 turnovers, was simply too much for the defending NBA champions to overcome.
"When you don't play as hard as you can play, you make 26 turnovers and the other team is shooting over 50 percent, you're going to have a very difficult time," Heat coach Pat Riley said. "Plus missing 18 free throws, I don't know how you can win."
Especially when Charlotte -- a team now 16 games under .500 -- plays nearly flawlessly in overtime. The Bobcats were 6-for-7 in the extra session, with Herrmann going 3-for-3, all from 3-point range, including two daggers in the final 43 seconds.
Raymond Felton had 16 points, Hermann had 15 and Okafor and Brevin Knight each scored 13 for the Bobcats. Jake Voskuhl added 12 for Charlotte, which was without rookie forward Adam Morrison, who missed his first game of the season with a sprained left knee tendon.
"They're a veteran team and they maintain their poise all the time, so you know they were going to make a run," Bickerstaff said. "But I'm more impressed that we didn't succumb."
Wade could have won it in regulation; his turnaround jumper with 1:02 left pulled Miami within 92-91. His short jumper was blocked by Emeka Okafor 33 seconds later, but after the Heat got a stop Wade was fouled by Felton with 2.4 seconds left.
But Wade only made the second of the two free throws, and after Wallace couldn't get a shot off before the horn sounded, the teams went to overtime knotted at 92.
"I had a lot of turnovers tonight. I missed a lot of free throws," Wade said. "But one thing about me, you don't have to worry about that. I won't do that too often."
Alonzo Mourning led Miami with 20 points on 9-for-10 shooting, part of the Heat's 59-24 edge in bench scoring. Jason Kapono had 19 points, Shaquille O'Neal scored 15 and Eddie Jones added 10 for Miami.
Editor: Donald
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