Miami ? Shaquille O’Neal is an All-Star for the 12th time, and he played like one down the stretch.

O’Neal scored eight of his 26 points in the final eight minutes, helping the Miami Heat hold off the Cleveland Cavaliers, 100-88, Thursday night.

Miami led by as many as 17 in the third, then let LeBron James and the Cavaliers close to 77-76 with 8:31 remaining. But O’Neal sparked a game-saving 9-0 run with a dunk, and the Heat held on to send Cleveland to its fourth loss in five road games.

“When we have lapses like that in the game, we just have to dig deep down and pick it up,” said O’Neal, who added 12 rebounds. “And that’s what we did.”

Eddie Jones had 22 points, including a pair of clutch three-pointers in the final quarter, and Dwyane Wade scored 20 points for the Eastern Conference-leading Heat.

James, who, at 20, is the second-youngest player to be named a starter in All-Star history, finished with 31 points and 10 assists for Cleveland. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavaliers.

Cleveland had alternated losses and wins in its last 11 games coming in, and is now 11/2 games behind Detroit in the Central Division. The Cavaliers missed 13 of their final 18 shots from the field.

“Right now, we’re not playing the level of basketball we want to play,” James said. “Down the stretch, we were just not making enough shots.”

Spurs 103, Lakers 91

Miami's Shaquille O'Neal, left, drives on Cleveland's Zydrunas Ilgauskas. O'Neal had 26 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Heat past the Cavaliers, 100-88, Thursday night in Miami.

Los Angeles — Tony Parker had 22 points and nine assists, Tim Duncan scored 17 points despite hyperextending his left knee, and San Antonio held off Los Angeles.

The game was the first for the Lakers since Rudy Tomjanovich resigned as coach, citing health concerns. Frank Hamblen, Tomjanovich’s replacement, lobbied for the return of Phil Jackson before the game.

The Spurs outscored Los Angeles 37-15 in the third quarter for an 80-55 lead, and led 89-61 early in the fourth when the Lakers went on a 23-2 run to draw within seven points with 3:51 remaining.

Clippers 106, Grizzlies 103

Memphis, Tenn. — Bobby Simmons scored six of his 26 points in the final three minutes and finished 10-of-12 from the field in Los Angeles’ comeback victory over Memphis.

Marko Jaric added 25 points and six assists to help the Clippers win their third straight game and snap a seven-game losing streak against the Grizzlies. Memphis’ Brian Cardinal missed a desperation shot from beyond midcourt at the buzzer.