The combination of a new season, a new starting lineup and a new offense resulted in a solid opening act against an old rival for the Heat.

This was a can't-miss night for the Heat, which used Wednesday's season opener as target practice in a 115-93 victory against the New York Knicks at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Dwyane Wade scored 26 points to lead five players in double figures for the Heat, which used a 32-8 run early in the second half to take a commanding 31-point lead.

Miami's offense was going so well at one point that it made 26 of 31 shots from the start of the second quarter to midway through the third. The Heat finished 56.6 percent from the field while the Knicks shot 37.9 percent overall and were 4 of 26 from three-point range.

This wasn't another dose of start-to-finish theatrics from Wade, who scored a total of 101 points the last two times Miami faced the Knicks last season. This time, it was all about the balancing act carried out by the supporting cast.

`SHARING THE LOAD'

``It was very nice,'' Wade said of sharing the load instead of having to shoulder most of it for a change. ``When the ball is moving and everybody is getting opportunities, it makes everyone play hard. That's what you want. We know it's not going to be like that every game.''

From Jermaine O'Neal turning in his perhaps his most complete game since arriving in a trade last February to Michael Beasley providing an offensive spark in his debut as the full-time starting power forward, just about everything clicked for Miami.

O'Neal, who spent the offseason working to restore the lift in his oft-injured legs, established his Heat-high with 12 rebounds to go with 22 points on 10 of 12 shooting.

Beasley closed with 21 points in his first game replacing Udonis Haslem in the starting lineup. Daequan Cook scored 15 off the bench to launch his bid to claim the team's primary sixth-man role, and Mario Chalmers had 11 points and four assists.

It was a welcomed change for the Heat after a 2-5 preseason riddled by nagging injuries and inconsistent play.

``The preseason didn't really go as well as we wanted it to, but we were ready come season time and showed everybody,'' Beasley said. ``It was really like pick our poison out there.''

David Lee had 22 points and nine rebounds to lead the Knicks, who struggled to ignite their run-and-gun offense against the Heat.

``Being able to hold a team that's so explosive like that to 93 points was key,'' Heat coach Spoelstra said. ``The defense, rebounding, energy and depth made the difference.''

It didn't take long for Spoelstra to use his entire nine-man rotation.

MIXING AND MATCHING

The Heat opened with Chalmers and Wade in the backcourt, Beasley and Quentin Richardson at the forward spots and O'Neal at center. But Spoelstra mixed and matched combinations throughout the game. Udonis Haslem and Daequan Cook were the first reserves off the bench.

But Haslem and Beasley did their best work in tandem, with Beasley shifting to small forward to open the second quarter. Beasley's reverse layup and Haslem's hook in the lane sparked a 12-2 run that pushed the Heat to its biggest first-half lead at 56-46.

``Basketball is basketball,'' said Haslem, who had eight points and nine rebounds off the bench. ``No matter what position we play, we have to do what we've got to do.''

The Heat now looks to take that momentum on the road for Friday's game against the Indiana Pacers.

``Fortunately, it was clicking for us tonight,'' Spoelstra said. ``We just have to find a way to keep it going.''

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