Dirk Nowitzki fought through a 101-degree fever to score 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, including a decisive drive with 14.4 seconds left as Dallas evened the NBA Finals at 2-2 with an 86-83 victory over Miami in Game 4 Tuesday at the American Airlines Center. Dwyane Wade had 32 points, but fumbled away the Heat's final possession.
It was the third consecutive down-to-the-wire thriller, with 15 ties and 12 lead changes. It was also the third straight time Nowitzki figured into the outcome. In Game 2, he drove past Chris Bosh and finished with the left hand for a 95-93 victory. In Game 3, his fadeaway over Udonis Haslem was off the mark in an 88-86 loss. This time, matched up against Haslem again, Nowitzki drove to his right and beat Haslem and Wade to the hoop.