Wade scores 30 in final home game of career, but Heat eliminated from playoff contention

Dwyane Wade played his final game at AmericanAirlines Arena on Tuesday.

That became a certainty midway through the third quarter of the Heat’s game when the Pistons-Grizzlies contest ended. Detroit’s victory over Memphis officially eliminated Miami from playoff contention.

Other than that news, Wade night in Miami went about as well as it could have gone. The Heat (39-42) dominated the 76ers 122-99 on Tuesday night in its final home game of the season at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Wade, who is retiring at the end of the season, finished the emotional night with 30 points on 10-of-23 shooting from the field and 4-of-10 shooting on threes, three rebounds and three assists in his first start with the Heat since he was traded back to the organization last season.

“I’m truly amazed that [Wade] was able to perform like that tonight,” said coach Erik Spoelstra, who added that he got emotional a few times Tuesday.

The 37-year-old Wade had played 96 consecutive games with Miami, including the playoffs, off the bench. Tuesday marked his first start in a Heat uniform since Game 7 of its second-round playoff series against the Raptors on May 15, 2016.

Wade, who has gone by the nickname “Flash” since early in his career because of his athleticism and quickness, opened the game with an uncontested dunk and went on to score 14 points in the first half. He scored 16 in the second half.

There was a memorable moment late in the game, when longtime Heat teammates and close friends Udonis Haslem and Wade checked into the game together with 11:05 to play. They spent the next 10 minutes trading shots, as Wade scored 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting and Haslem tallied each of his seven points on seven shots in the fourth quarter.

Haslem, who has yet to decide if this will be his final NBA season, also finished with four rebounds and took a charge less than a minute after entering the game.

Whenever Wade wasn’t on the court, “We Want Wade” chants rang through the arena. He ended up playing 35 minutes in the final home game of his 16-season career.

But Wade and Haslem also had plenty of help from their teammates against the 76ers.

Two members of the Heat’s young core were especially impressive. Justise Winslow, 23, ended the night with 16 points with the help of 4-of-5 shooting on threes, and Bam Adebayo, 21, finished with 19 points and nine rebounds.

It was a special night from the start, as a pregame ceremony to honor Wade included a tribute video with narration from Spoelstra, Haslem, former Heat teammates Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James, wife Gabrielle Union-Wade, and Heat president Pat Riley.

Wade then addressed the crowd, thanking every teammate — even ones no longer on this season’s roster like Tyler Johnson, Wayne Ellington and Rodney McGruder — by name.

During the game, there were other tribute videos played during almost every timeout. They included video messages from former President Barack Obama, Wade’s oldest son, Zaire, NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Wade’s mother, Jolinda Wade, and father, Dwyane Wade Sr.

Miami has one game remaining on its regular-season schedule — Wednesday against the Nets in Brooklyn.

But the Heat now knows it will miss the playoffs for the third time in the past five seasons and the 11th time in the franchise’s 31 seasons of existence.

While it’s the third time in a five-year span the Heat has missed the postseason, it’s just the sixth time since Riley joined the organization 24 seasons ago that it hasn’t qualified for the playoffs. It also marks the third time the Heat has missed the playoffs during Spoelstra’s 11-season tenure as head coach.

This story was originally published April 9, 2019 at 10:18 PM.

Anthony Chiang

Miami Herald

305-376-4991

Anthony Chiang covers the Miami Heat for the Miami Herald. He attended the University of Florida and was born and raised in Miami.