Miami move into commanding lead

Gilbert Arenas and Shaquille O'Neal compete for the ball

Miami Heat took control of their Eastern Conference semi-final against Washington Wizards with victory in game two of the best-of-seven series.

Dwyane Wade starred for the Heat with 31 points and 15 assists in a 108-102 win, although Shaquille O'Neal struggled with a thigh injury.

Miami are now 2-0 up in the series, with game three taking place in Washington on Thursday.

In Tuesday's other game, San Antonio beat Seattle 108-91 to go 2-0 up.

It was the sixth straight win in the play-offs for the Heat, who can take complete control in Washington on Thursday.

Eddie Jones contributed 21 points for the Heat while O'Neal had 16 points and seven rebounds.

Antawn Jamison scored a game-high 32 points and Gilbert Arenas added 28 for the Wizards, who have lost their last 10 contests against the Heat.

After romping to an easy 19-point victory in game one, the Heat were made to work much harder in game two.

Trailing 54-47 at the intermission, the Wizards opened the second half with a 14-7 run to tie the game at 61-61.

The Heat, however, refused to buckle and answered with a 17-7 run to take a 80-71 advantage into the final quarter.

The Wizards continued to battle and pulled within six but could get no closer, Wade nailing down the win with two free throws with 16 seconds on the clock.

Miami coach Stan Van Gundy was satisfied with O'Neal's effort despite the centre's fitness problems.

"He's not 100%," said Van Gundy. "He may not be typical Shaq. Right now, that guy, on that leg, is still a heck of a player.

"Tell me one centre who is putting up better numbers in the play-offs. If he keeps giving us those kind of numbers, we're going to be fine."

In San Antonio, Manu Ginobili came off the bench to score 28 points and Tim Duncan added 25 as the Spurs extended their lead in their Western Conference semi-final.

Game three is in Seattle on Thursday and the Sonics need a dramatic improvement to make a contest of it.

Tony Parker contributed 22 points as the Spurs moved to their sixth straight win after dropping the opening game of their quarter-final to the Denver Nuggets.

Ray Allen, who suffered an ankle sprain in game one, was back in the Seattle line-up and registered a team-high 25 points.

Rashard Lewis chipped in with 22 for the SuperSonics while Antonio Daniels had 16.