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  Tuesday, Dec. 28 7:30pm ET
Heat end Miami Arena run in style
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

MIAMI (AP) -- The Miami Heat made sure they didn't leave Miami Arena with a loss.

Alonzo Mourning, Joe Smith, Rasho Nesterovic
Alonzo Mourning loses the ball between T-Wolves defenders Joe Smith, left, and center Radoslav Nesterovic.

Alonzo Mourning had 30 points and 13 rebounds as the Heat closed out their stay at Miami Arena with an 89-78 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.

"It's a win, and that's all that counts," Mourning said. "At this point, we're just trying to build up as many 'W's' as we can. I don't care about anything else."

The Heat had played all of their home games at Miami Arena beginning with their expansion season in 1988-89. They move into the $212 million AmericanAirlines Arena on Sunday against Orlando.

"I've had 4 1/2 good years here," coach Pat Riley said. "It's just like when you move into a new house: You're excited. We won't forget all the memories here, but we're looking forward to the new arena, and it couldn't come as a better time."

The Timberwolves had their five-game winning streak snapped and Miami won for just the third time in eight games.

Playing for the second night in a row, the Wolves couldn't play their up-tempo game and replicate Monday's dramatic 107-105 win at Orlando.

"We ran out of gas at the end," Minnesota coach Flip Saunders said. "It's tough playing a physical team like Miami on the night after you've played the night before. We've played well for three weeks, but it's tough to sustain that."

Mourning sparked a 17-2 run in the third quarter that erased an eight-point deficit and gave Miami a 62-55 lead with 4:46 left in the period.

Dan Majerle's 3-pointer gave Miami a 56-55 edge, its first lead since early in the second quarter. Mourning started the play by blocking Wally Szczerbiak's drive.

Mourning then scored on a layup and running jumper inside the lane, and Anthony Carter drilled an 18-footer to push the Heat to a 62-55 lead.

"I don't remember the last time we had a run like that," Heat forward P.J. Brown said. "The way we've been struggling, to do that was fun."

Mourning scored seven points in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter as Miami stretched its lead to 78-65.

"We had to dig deep at halftime," Mourning said. "We have to keep doing that, not just in situations. We can't expect a game to just automatically take its course in our favor.

"We needed to win tonight, and we had to use any means necessary."

Kevin Garnett led Minnesota with 16 points, and Malik Sealy and Terrell Brandon each had 14.

"They had been in a slump and not playing their best ball," Garnett said of the Heat. "This was an opportunity for us to jump on them when they were down, but we didn't do that."

The Wolves led 28-22 after one quarter period before the Heat rallied to take a 31-29 lead on Otis Thorpe's layup early in the second quarter.

Garnett's three-point play capped a 9-2 surge that regained the lead for Minnesota at 38-33.

The Wolves closed the half with an 11-5 spurt, including a pair of field goals by Szczerbiak, to lead 49-41.

Game notes
The Heat finished 252-196 in regular-season games at Miami Arena. ... Mourning has scored 20-plus points in 17 of his last 22 games. ... Majerle had one 3-pointer, extending his streak to 22 games. Majerle's 3-point streak is his longest since joining the Heat in '96-97. ... The Heat played without guard Tim Hardaway (knee) and forward Jamal Mashburn (ankle), who missed their 16th and fourth games, respectively. ... T-Wolves guard Bobby Jackson missed his fourth straight game with a strained right knee. ... The Wolves wrapped up a stretch in which they played five of six games on the road. Their next three games are at home, beginning Thursday against Chicago.
 


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Minnesota 78

New Jersey 89
New York 83

Sacramento 114
Boston 101

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