Game 3, and Series Lead, Goes to the Heat MIAMI - In the third installment of a taut series, where every play is critical and every hiccup magnified, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat spent an evening alternating periods of crisp play with periods of near-catastrophe, until they simply ran out of minutes to fix their mistakes. The Heat shot only 37.8 percent, but they focused when it mattered most Sunday night. The Thunder shot well enough, but turned careless just when they could not afford to. In the final minutes, the Heat were steadier and ultimately triumphant, taking a 91-85 victory and a 2-1 lead in the N.B.A. finals. "Here in Miami, we like these wins because these are gritty wins that speak a lot to the team's character," Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra said. He added: "We know this is going to be a grind. This is a microcosm of how this series will be. LeBron James led the Heat with 29 points, 8 in the fourth quarter, when Miami finally pulled away. Dwyane Wade added 25 points. So now the Heat are back were they were one year ago, with a 2-1 lead and two wins to go to win the championship - although this time with two more games at home. Game 4 is Tuesday night. Of the previous 34 finals to be tied at a game apiece, the Game 3 winner has won the title 29 times. Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 25 points and was brilliant when he was on the court, making 11 of 19 shots from the field. But he struggled with foul trouble for the second straight game, sitting out the final 5 minutes 41 seconds of the third quarter, when the Heat erased the Thunder's 10-point lead. Durant, who has 10 fouls in the last two games, was asked what he could do to avoid foul trouble. He paused and shook his head before answering, "Not foul." He added, "I just got to play smarter next game, and hopefully I won't get no fouls called." Each team had its periods of momentary domination - the Heat taking an 8-point lead in the second quarter, the Thunder taking a 10-point lead in the third - but every advantage seemed short-lived. The Heat appeared to throw a knockout punch with an 8-0 burst late in the fourth quarter, as the Thunder's composure dissolved in a blur of turnovers and missed 3-point attempts. But the Thunder steadied themselves again, scoring 6 straight points to cut the deficit to 86-85 with 1:30 left. Chris Bosh extended the lead with two free throws, however, and Durant and Russell Westbrook both misfired down the stretch. Westbrook, the Thunder's designated lightning rod, was widely criticized for his poor shooting and his shot selection in Game 2, but he remained defiant and steady, telling reporters on Saturday, "I'm not making no adjustments, regardless of what anybody says." Sure enough, Westbrook maintained his aggression, taking 18 shots Sunday night and making 8. His clever driving layup - after a Rajon Rondo-like ball fake behind his back - helped spark an 18-5 run in the third quarter, when the Thunder took their 10-point lead. Durant scored 8 points in that run, then picked up his fourth foul while guarding Wade and was forced to the bench. Westbrook soon followed him, after picking up an offensive foul. The Heat pounced in their absence, closing the quarter on a 15-3 run to go ahead by 69-67. Coach Scott Brooks sat Westbrook even though he had only two fouls. "It's the coach's decision," Westbrook said. You got to live with it. Nearly all of Miami's points in the third-quarter rally came in sets of three. Shane Battier and James Jones each converted three free throws after being fouled at the arc (Battier by Serge Ibaka, Jones by Derek Fisher) on successive possessions. James closed the period with a 3-pointer, and Miami continued the surge in the fourth, with Jones hitting a 3-pointer for a 74-69 lead. Foul trouble notwithstanding, Durant sounded as if he would have preferred to remain in the game in the third quarter."That's Coach's call," he said, adding, "We had a nice little rhythm going. I had a nice rhythm going on the offensive end, and for it to just stop like that, by me going out of the game because of fouls, is kind of tough. The Thunder, with Durant and Westbrook back on the court, answered with an 8-2 run and regained the lead, though only momentarily. For the Thunder, the first two games of the series were characterized by poor starts and late rallies - one successful, one not. By the time Game 3 arrived, Brooks had been subjected to three days of second-guessing and repeated calls to change his starting lineup. He did not. "That's never even crossed my mind," Brooks said before tip-off. We've been good all year. Prior to the last game, we won five playoff games in a row. That's hard to do in the playoffs this late in the rounds. Brooks said the Thunder's poor start in Game 2, when they fell behind by 17 points, "had nothing to do with the lineup," but, rather, "had everything to do with how we were playing, and hopefully we can improve on the way we played." The Thunder backed up the claim with a sturdy first half. For the first time in three games, they did not fall behind by double digits in the first quarter, nor give up a hailstorm of Battier 3-pointers. The two things might have been related. While the Thunder dedicated themselves to preventing 3-pointers, they gave Miami ample room to drive, and the Heat responded by scoring 15 of their 18 first-half baskets on dunks or layups. Still, Miami's lead never went beyond 8 points, and the Thunder methodically erased it. Kendrick Perkins's two free throws late in the second quarter gave the Thunder a 36-35 lead, their first since Game 1. Durant followed with 5 straight points for a 41-38 lead. But the Heat closed the half with two Battier 3-pointers and a 3-point play from James to take a 47-46 lead into halftime.