By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Sports Writer

MIAMI (AP) -- One stingy defensive stretch was enough to carry
the Miami Heat past LeBron James' former team once again.



Might have gotten the Heat prepped for a daunting road stretch
as well.



Dwyane Wade scored 26 points, James added 24 and the Heat said
farewell to their home floor for nearly two weeks by beating the
Cleveland Cavaliers 107-91 on Tuesday night. Miami's lead was
only a point late in the third quarter, before the Cavaliers
missed 17 of their next 19 shots and the Heat finally pulled
away.



"It was definitely going to be necessary," James said of the
late defensive push, one that ensured Miami would beat Cleveland
for the fifth time in six meetings since the two-time MVP left
the Cavaliers for the Heat. "And that's how we want to close out
games."



Chris Bosh finished with 15 points for the Heat, who have won 11
of their last 13 games and stayed within a game of Chicago in
the Eastern Conference race, both teams tied in the loss column
with six. Mario Chalmers and Udonis Haslem each scored 14 for
Miami, which starts a stretch of five road games in seven nights
at Orlando on Wednesday, then caps the six-game trip with a
visit to Cleveland on Feb. 17.



The Heat are 19-6, the best 25-game start in team history.



"We just had to grind it out, grind it out - until it was our
time to pull away," Wade said.



Antawn Jamison scored 25 points and had nine rebounds for
Cleveland, which got 17 from Alonzo Gee, and 16 points, six
rebounds and six assists from Kyrie Irving. Anderson Varejao had
11 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who were outscored
29-19 in the fourth and got a 4 for 23 shooting night from their
reserves.



"I thought we competed," Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said. "I
thought our starters played pretty well. Our second unit just
couldn't make baskets, couldn't throw anything in the ocean.
You're not going to win a lot of games when you're not get any
contributions but again a lot of it had to do with the injuries.
I'm not trying to make any excuse. You've got to give them a lot
of credit. They're a good basketball team."



Facing a number of injury issues, Cleveland had only 11 players
in uniform for the game. Daniel Gibson (neck infection), Tristan
Thompson (sprained left ankle) and Anthony Parker (strained
lower back) were not with the club, and earlier this week the
team waived Mychel Thompson - who had started the Cavs' last
three games and scored six points in their win over Dallas on
Saturday.



Short-handed or not, the Cavs gave the Heat all they wanted -
just as they did in Miami two weeks ago.



Jamison had 20 points in the first half, his best opening half
since March 6, 2010. And whenever it seemed like Miami was about
to take off on a run, like when it had a quick 15-8 lead early
or a 43-33 edge midway through the second quarter, Cleveland had
an answer.



That trend continued in the third.



"We did a good job," Varejao said, "until the fourth quarter."



An 18-9 run by the Cavs to open the second half gave them a
66-63 edge, before the Heat put together a pair of quick bursts
- dunks by James punctuating both. He capped a 9-2 run by
catching a long pass from Haslem in transition for a five-point
lead, and after Cleveland clawed back within one, Chalmers hit a
3-pointer and James followed a missed layup by Battier with a
one-handed slam for a 78-72 edge entering the fourth.



With that, Miami had taken Cleveland's best shot.



"That team is improved, they play hard and they compete," Heat
coach Erik Spoelstra said. "They're a tough team to put away."



Starting with that mini-flurry by Miami to close the third, the
Cavaliers were outscored 19-6 over an 8-minute span. Wade made
back-to-back hoops to give Miami what was its biggest lead at
92-78 midway through the fourth.



"We were in the game for most of the game," Irving said. "In the
fourth quarter I felt that we could make a run but we were just
not hitting shots. They weren't falling. It happens."



And now comes the trip that Miami sees as an opportunity.



It's a rare six-game swing around the East for Miami, which
starts in Orlando and then goes to Washington, Atlanta,
Milwaukee and Indiana, the last three of those in consecutive
nights, before wrapping up at the arena James called home for
his first seven NBA seasons.



"I was just talking to D-Wade about it. I think it's going to be
great," James said. "One thing about us, we love these road
trips. They bring us together even more. It's just us. It's the
15 guys, the coaching staff, the training staff and we all come
together. It's a big test for us."



Notes: The Heat waived C Mickell Gladness on Tuesday, hours
before the deadline for non-guaranteed contracts to become
guaranteed. Terrel Harris and Eddy Curry remained with the club,
as expected. There's a chance Gladness could return on a 10-day
deal, but the Heat are also looking at free agents such as C
Joel Przybilla. ... Varejao acknowledged he's a little anxious
waiting for Thursday's announcements of the All-Star Game's
reserve selections. "I mean, I'm not going to say I'm not. ...
If it happens, I'll be really happy," Varejao said. He's got a
fan in Spoelstra, who believes Varejao is worthy of the nod. ...
Heat F Juwan Howard celebrated his 39th birthday. "Just a
number," Howard said. ... Spoelstra, when asked about the
possibility of him coaching the East in the All-Star Game: "It's
an awesome event for players."