Jones' off-balance drive with 10.5 seconds remaining snapped a tie and lifted the Heat to a 99-97 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, who erased an eight-point deficit in the final four minutes.
"It was just like he (Miami coach Pat Riley) drew it up," Jones said. "It was for me to catch it and go. I was wanting to get to the rim and either make it or get fouled."
 Eddie Jones leaves Ray Allen and the Bucks behind. Victor Baldizon NBAE/Getty Images |
"It's nice to win one of those games," Riley said. "We've had about 10 games this year go down to the wire and we were not able to make plays, free throws or defensive stops."
Riley has been desperately searching for the right combinations, using 14 different starting lineups. He started Rod Strickland at point guard Tuesday.
"I wanted to change the energy, so I changed the energy," Riley said. "We've been going with something for a long time and guys have been injured and in and out."
Milwaukee rallied from a 96-88 deficit to tie the contest, 97-97, on Ray Allen's two foul shots with 34 seconds left, but Jones came through with his second big shot in five days.
He hit a jumper at the regulation buzzer on Friday in Seattle, allowing the Heat to snap their long slide with a 98-94 victory.
"Last year, we came here and got a big win and that turned the season around for us," Milwaukee coach George Karl said. "Maybe this win will turn things around for them. This game could give Miami the confidence to be the special team they have been for the past six years."
Milwaukee, which suffered its fifth straight road loss, had a chance to tie. Allen drove the lane and passed to Anthony Mason, but the former Heat missed a layup with just under two seconds left. The clock expired during the scramble for the rebound.
"Ray made a nice pass," Mason said. "It kind of took me by surprise a little, but you've got to draw a foul late in the game."
Mason has kept up a running feud with Riley, his former coach, and exchanged words with the Miami bench throughout the contest.
"We played more aggressively down the stretch," Mason said. "If we had done that from the beginning, we would have taken control of the game."
Jones scored 23 points and Alonzo Mourning added 21 for the Heat, who are the only team in the NBA not to score 100 points this season. Mourning also grabbed 10 rebounds.
"I'm just trying to play the game and let everything come to me," Mourning said. "I want to make sure my minutes on the court are effective. Regardless of how many minutes I play or points I score, I want to make the minutes I play count."
Allen scored 30 points and Sam Cassell and Tim Thomas added 18 apiece for the Bucks, who had a modest two-game winning streak stopped.
Miami appeared certain to reach the century mark after LaPhonso Ellis hit two foul shots to make it 95-86 with 5:30 left, but the Heat scored just one point over the next five-plus minutes.
Allen's two foul shots made it 97-94 with 1:38 left before Ervin Johnson, a 25-percent foul shooter coming into the game, hit 1-of-2 from the line to pull Milwaukee within two with 56 seconds to go.
On Miami's ensuing possession, Johnson came with a big defensive play, blocking Jimmy Jackson's layup and allowing the Bucks to tie it on Allen's free throws.
Allen made 10-of-14 shots from the field, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range to keep the Bucks close. Even with Allen's hot shooting, Milwaukee only shot 44 percent (32-of-73).
The Heat were shooting at 57 percent midway through the third quarter but cooled off to finish at 49 percent (36-of-73). They have yet to shoot 50 percent this season.
Until the drought down the stretch, the Heat executed offensively as well as they have all season. They led, 52-49, at the break, establishing a season high for points in the first half.
Milwaukee never led in the second half.