Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Randy Foye scored 14 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, but Wade stole the show and helped propel the Heat to a 99-96 victory Tuesday.

Wade blocked Foye's jumper with 13.9 seconds left, Foye retrieved the ball passed to Rodney Carney, who missed a three-pointer. That preserved the Heat's precarious one-point lead. Wade then drew a foul and hit one of two free throws.

Michael Beasley grabbed the rebound, drew a foul and hit two free throws. Foye's desperation jumper fell short at the buzzer, but it wouldn't have been enough had it gone in because Minnesota would still be trailing by one point.

Wade had a game-high 31 points, eight assists, three blocked shots and three steals.

"He does so much for us," coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We don't take it for granted. We realize that's his greatness."

Wade was at his best in the decisive moments. After Timberwolves center Al Jefferson turned the ball over, Wade saw Shawn Marion in the corner of his eye, passed the ball to him and Marion drew the foul. Marion hit the go-ahead free throws to give Miami a 97-96 lead with 22 seconds left.

Wade's late heroics came after what had been a quiet second half. He had 21 points going into the third quarter and attempted only two field goals in the fourth.

But then Wade's killer instinct took over. He turned it up a notch defensively late to help the Heat earn a much-need win.

"It's just about winning time, knowing the right time to attack and when to go," Wade said. "I passed enough in the second half and at the end had to be aggressive."

SIGN OF PROGRESS

Wade, again, left Spoelstra in awe.

"That's one of the big steps he's taken this year -- now defensively it seems like every game he's making an impact, on a steal, a block, a contested shot or in traffic on a 50-50 rebound," Spoelstra said. "He's still carrying a major load for us offensively but he's really been playing sensational on the defensive end."

The Heat ended its three-game streak of allowing opponents to score at least 100 points and contained Jefferson -- one of only three players in the league averaging at least 20 points and 10 rebounds -- to nine points (4-of-14 shooting) and 10 rebounds. Marion and Udonis Haslem each had double-doubles, and Haslem recorded his 4,000th career point in the second quarter.

But the matchup of the night was Foye-Wade.

And Foye kept Wade busy.

During one stretch in the fourth quarter, Foye hit three consecutive jumpers. He converted 5 of 10 three-pointers, including one with 1:55 left to give Minnesota a one-point lead. He finished 12 of 21 from the field.

At times Wade left him open, patrolling the lane looking to get a steal, but the Heat star's lockdown defense late was huge.

"Partly why [Wade] was quiet for a little bit [was because] he had his hands full with Foye," Spoelstra said. "He's been on quite a tear."

So had the Timberwolves. The Heat snapped Minnesota's season-best five-game win streak.

"We had plenty of opportunities to win the game," Foye said, "but we let the game slip away."

THE ROAD AHEAD

The Heat couldn't afford to let this one slip away, not on a grueling road trip that will not get easier. The Heat improved to 2-2 on its season-long, seven-game trip. The Heat (20-17) plays the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday followed by games Saturday against the Houston Rockets and Sunday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Heat is 2-5 on the second night of back-to-back games.

Instead of going to Milwaukee 1-3 on the trip, the Heat got a solid win.

"It's a really big deal," Beasley said.

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