LAKERS COOL THE HEAT L.A. IMPROVES TO 18-4 AT HOME; BRYANT SCORES 25.

Byline: ROSS SILER Staff Writer

Even if Shaquille O'Neal is on the bench in a three-piece suit and Pat Riley is somewhere recovering from knee and hip surgeries, the Miami Heat are still the NBA champions until proven otherwise in April, May or June.

It was a fact the Lakers lost sight of when they met the Heat on Christmas Day in Miami. They played to the Heat's sub-.500 record, in Kobe Bryant's view, instead of rising to the level of a championship team themselves.

That wasn't the case Monday night as the Lakers beat the Heat for only the second time in six games since the O'Neal trade. They prevailed 124-118 in overtime, ending Miami's four-game winning streak in the process.

The Lakers improved to 18-4 at home and had seven players finish in double figures. Bryant had 25 points and eight assists while Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 35 points, 16 in the first quarter.

After talking about the Heat's ability to space out teams and hit 3-pointers, Lakers coach Phil Jackson watched his team connect on 14 of 25 3-pointers in the game, the last of which came with 2:33 left in overtime when Bryant drove and found Brian Cook open in the corner.

Cook finished with 25 points - - three shy of his career-high - - and connected on four 3-pointers.

Bryant took a pass from Walton in the post and scored with a reverse layup as the Lakers went ahead 119-116 with 1:17 remaining in overtime. Udonis Haslem hit a jumper at the other end as the Heat closed to a point with 58.6 seconds to play.

Miami brought Gary Payton off the bench to guard Bryant and Payton immediately was called for a foul. Bryant sank both free throws with 37.2 seconds left and the Lakers got a stop on defense as Wade drove and threw a wayward pass.

Wade was looking for James Posey in the corner for a potential tying 3-pointer but Smush Parker got his hands on the ball. It helped atone for a saved ball Parker threw to the Heat at the end of regulation.

Parker sank both free throws after being fouled and the Lakers avenged their humiliating loss to the Heat on Christmas.

Bryant scored only 13 points through three quarters but had a run of important plays in the fourth. He tied up Wade and won a jump ball, then hit a jumper at the other end over Wade. Wade was called for an offensive foul as he drove against Bryant.

Then Bryant pushed the Lakers ahead 108-101 with 3:32 remaining in regulation by drilling a double-pump fake 19-footer over Posey.

The Heat came back to tie the game 108-108 with 1:58 left on Jason Kapono's 3-pointer from the corner. That followed a breakaway dunk by Wade, who stole a Luke Walton pass to Bryant.

Bryant squeezed into whatever space was available and pushed in a 16- footer as the Heat defense collapsed around him with 46.5 seconds left. Wade missed at the other end but Parker saved the ball to Kapono, who fed Haslem for a dunk.

The Lakers still had a chance to win with 22.5 seconds remaining and the score tied 110-110. Bryant drove against Wade, went crashing into Haslem and lost the ball. Maurice Evans then missed a shot at the buzzer.

The Heat arrived having won a season-best four games in a row and awaiting O'Neal's return any day from Nov. 19 knee surgery. He sat on the bench in a blue three-piece suit and was booed when shown on the video board in the third quarter.

He wasn't concerned in the least. O'Neal motioned to his ear as if asking to hear more from the crowd.

Although O'Neal and Bryant made amends last season before a game on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, O'Neal and Jackson had gone back and forth after a comment Jackson made before Christmas questioning his former center's work ethic.

Andrew Bynum started at center but played only nine minutes in the first half because of foul trouble. He was called for his fourth personal not even two minutes into the fourth quarter, shoving Alonzo Mourning as the Heat center went to set a screen.

The Lakers devoted an entire side of their locker-room board to screen- and-roll defense, a sore subject on Christmas Day as Wade totaled 40 points and 11 assists as Miami won 101-85. Even so, the Lakers struggled to keep their big men on the floor Monday.

Bynum was called for two fouls in the first 7:32 and took a seat.Ronny Turiaf checked in but picked up two fouls and was gone by the 3:15 mark of the first quarter. That forced Vladimir Radmanovic into service as an emergency center.

Wade finished the quarter with 16 points, living up to his ``Flash'' nickname. The Lakers were on their heels to such a degree that Wade drove the lane for a dunk with 1:47 left in the first without Radmanovic or anyone else helping on defense.

The Lakers finished the first half with Bynum, Turiaf and Radmanovic each having three fouls. Turiaf and Bynum were called for their third personals within a minute of each other in the second quarter, both on Wade drives.

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) The Lakers' Kobe Bryant looks to pass against Miami's Jason Williams, left, and Alonzo Mourning on Monday.

(2) The Lakers' Vladimir Radmanovic tries, but fails, to prevent a score by the Heat's Dwyane Wade on Monday.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer