Heat 101, Bobcats 97: LeBron James had 32 points, eight assists and four steals and Chris Bosh scored 20 points as host Miami defeated Charlotte to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series.

Dwyane Wade added 15 points and Mario Chalmers scored 11 for the second-seeded Heat, who have posted 18 consecutive victories over the Bobcats. James was 11-of-17 from the field and Bosh hit 8-of-11 shots as Miami shot 52.2 percent from the field while holding Charlotte to 42 percent.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 22 points and 10 rebounds to pace the seventh-seeded Bobcats, who host Saturday’s Game 3. Al Jefferson had 18 points and 13 rebounds while dealing with a foot injury, Kemba Walker contributed 16 points and eight assists and Gerald Henderson tallied 15 points.

The Heat held a 91-77 after a putback by Wade with 6:54 remaining before the Bobcats scored 10 straight to pull within four points. Walker’s 3-pointer cut Charlotte’s deficit to 98-97 with 11.9 seconds left and James hit two free throws before Wade stole the ball from Chris Douglas-Roberts and split two free throws with 1.6 seconds remaining to seal it.

Miami led by as many as 16 points in the first half before taking a 57-47 lead into the break. Charlotte pulled within four on Jefferson’s basket midway through the third quarter before the Heat took a 79-72 advantage into the final stanza.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Jefferson was 9-of-23 shooting and played 40 minutes despite suffering a plantar fasciitis injury in Game 1. … Bosh was 4-of-5 from 3-point range and the Heat were 9-of-23 overall. … Walker was just 5-of-18 from the field.