Wade scores 30 as Big Three getsfirst victory

PHILADELPHIA - Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh have their first win with Miami, and the Big Three got help from some big threes in the Heat's 97-87 victory over the 76ers last night.

Playing with purpose a night after an 88-80 loss in a hyped showdown with Boston, the three looked as if they still need some games to get used to playing with each other. Only Wade, who shot 50 percent from the field and scored 30 points, looked particularly sharp against the Sixers. The Heat hit three straight three-pointers in the third quarter to bust open an eight-point halftime lead.

James scored 16 points and Bosh had 15.

A James - not LeBron - was a major factor for the Heat. James Jones hit 6 of 9 three-pointers and scored 20 points. The Heat shot 50 percent from three-point range.

Up next, tomorrow's home opener against Orlando.

For all the buzz surrounding the Heat, there were plenty of patches of empty seats in the announced sellout crowd of 20,389 in the Sixers' home opener.

Evan Turner led the Sixers with 16 points in his first NBA game. Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young had 15.

James heard the loudest boos when he was introduced from fans that can deliver them as vociferously as any city in the league. He heard them occasionally during the game, but the volume was turned down and the noise mostly disappeared as the Heat pulled away.

The Heat's new Big Three earned big television ratings in their debut Tuesday against the Celtics, drawing the most viewers for an NBA regular-season game in cable history.

TNT said that the game had a 4.6 rating and was watched by 7.4 million people. The rating is second only to the 4.9 for the Bulls-Lakers game on Feb. 2, 1996, when Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson met for the first time after both came out of retirement. - AP