Heat beat City to take a 2-1 lead in NBA finals

Wade sank two free throws with 13 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to cap the scoring for the Heat, who are in the finals for the second year in a row and trying to win their first championship since 2006.

Miami Heat's LeBron James. PIC/AFP

"We had enough stops, enough timely scores and we were still able to get some free throws down the stretch to find a way to grind out a win," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said.

James, the regular season NBA Most Valuable Player, made 11-of-23 shots from the field and was a force on both defence and offence. He finished just shy of posting his sixth consecutive playoff game of 30 or more points.

Miami, which will host the next two games in the series, can take a stranglehold on the Thunder with a victory in game four today.