Dwyane Wade went for it all. He came up empty. So did the Miami Heat.
Just as their pick-and-roll defense came up empty throughout Friday’s fourth quarter against New Orleans Pelicans backup center Alexis Ajinca.
Pelicans 104, Heat 102.
In the end, this wasn’t the Michael Beasley game, even though the once-and-again Miami Heat forward had his first-half moments in his return.
And it wasn’t Hassan Whiteside domination, with Ajinca the game’s most impactful big man.
Ultimately, the night at Smoothie King Center came down to Wade thinking it had to get better for himself, and that the best way to stop Ajinca’s late domination was to make sure his shot was the game’s last.
So with 14.7 seconds to work with, with his team down two, Wade probed and then let loose with a 3-pointer.
Ball game.
For the Pelicans.
“It was a good look,” said Wade, who looked off the rest of his teammates, including Luol Deng, who closed 7 of 11 for 22 points, and Goran Dragic, who was 9 of 13 for 20.
“I thought,” Wade continued, “I would finally hit a shot. It was on line. But it didn’t go in.”
Wade instead fell to 4 of 16 for the night from the field and 0 for 4 on 3-pointers on his 11-point night, as the Heat fell to 25-32, with a quick-turn test coming up Saturday at AmericanAirlines Arena against the Atlanta Hawks.
“I like the way we fought,” Wade said. “If we continue play like that, we will win more games than we lose.”
But this one was there for the taking . . . until Ajinca powered through the Heat’s pick-and-roll defense for 14 of his career-high 24 points in the fourth quarter.
“That’s just guys not knowing and not playing together for enough time yet to be able to talk that out and stop that play from happening,” Wade said.
Of course had Wade shot earlier, or deferred to one of his teammates, it likely would have meant defending at least one more Pelicans pick-and-roll.
“You can always look at things of what you would have done differently,” coach Erik Spoelstra said of Wade’s decision. “But it’s a lot different when you are out there in the heat of competition.
“I live with Dwyane Wade with the ball in his hands to make decisions at the ends of games.”
Beyond Deng and Dragic, Whiteside and forward Henry Walker each added 16 points for the Heat.
Then there was Beasley, who played 10:18 and finished with seven points on 3-of-7 shooting, all of his scoring in the first half.
“I was nervous, scared, anxious, excited,” Beasley said. “As soon as I got out there, my heart started racing 100 miles an hour.
“It’s definitely something to build on.”
Spoelstra agreed.
“I was pleased with what Mike gave us,” he said. “It will get better each game.”
Ajinca was supported by 20 points from guard Eric Gordon, 19 from guard Tyreke Evans and 18 from forward Quincy Pondexter.
The Heat’s nine-point lead going into the fourth quickly was trimmed to three as Spoelstra open the period with a lineup that included neither Wade nor Dragic.
By the time Dragic and Beasley were re-inserted, the Pelicans were within 85-82 with 8:39 to play, already in the bonus, which became a huge factor, with New Orleans 12 of 15 from the line in the fourth quarter compared to the Heat’s 3 of 4, all by Wade.
Dragic later was called for his fifth foul with 5:08 to play, forcing him to the bench.
With 2:23 to play, Gordon converted a 3-pointer, his fifth straight point, to tie it 98-98.
Wade and Evans then matched baskets to leave it tied 100-100.
A missed Wade shot and a charge on Evans then left it tied at that score with 1:23 to go.
That’s when Dragic returned, played a two-man game with Wade, who then found Whiteside for a dunk and a 102-100 Heat lead with 1:11 left.
Ajinca came back to power inside for a 102-102 tie with exactly one minute to play.
The Heat then got scrambled on their ensuing possession, with Wade forced to call timeout with 38.7 seconds left in the game and 2.1 seconds remaining on the shot clock.
That possession resulted into a 24-second violation after the Heat’s Walker was off with a 3-point heave.
Ajinca again worked his way open at the rim, putting the Pelicans up 104-102 with 25.9 seconds remaining.
The Heat then ran their pet play of a Wade pass to Whiteside, which was blocked by Pelicans center Omer Asik, who then lost the ball out of bounds.
That left Wade with the final play to script.
“We got a great contest,” Pelicans coach Monty Williams said, with former Heat guard Norris Cole left to defend the play.
Cole closed 0 for 10 from the field.
Wade, who had missed seven games with a strained right hamstring, offered a final thought on Twitter before boarding the team plane, “I’ll make some shots soon . . . still trying to find my rhythm since coming back.”
Both teams were shorthanded, the Heat for the rest of the season.
The Heat remained without center Chris Bosh, who is being treated for blood clots on his lung, with forward Josh McRoberts out after knee surgery.
The Pelicans were without forward Anthony Davis and Ryan Andersen who both were injured during last Saturday’s Pelicans victory in Miami. Both are expected to be back soon. New Orleans also was without point guard Jrue Holiday, who is out for an extended period due to a leg injury.
The Pelicans exited on a four-game winning streak, with their first season sweep from the Heat since 2008-09.
iwinderman@tribpub.com. Follow him at twitter.com/iraheatbeat or facebook.com/ira.winderman.
