MIAMI -- The Miami Heat were nearly embarrassed.

And even though they rallied to beat the winless Philadelphia 76ers 96-91 on Saturday night at AmericanAirlines Arena, this was not a performance the Heat will be bragging about.

The Sixers' 17-point first-half lead was the largest advantage they have had at any point this season.

"They are an NBA team," Heat guard Dwyane Wade said of the Sixers, offering faint praise. "They have guys who can play basketball ... but they are not a better team than us, especially on our home floor."

Wade scored a game-high and season-high 27 points to save the Heat (8-4) against the 0-14 Sixers. Wade made 8 of 17 shots from the floor and 11 of 13 from the foul line and added seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block in 36 virtuoso minutes.

"That's what he does -- he is a carrier," Heat forward Chris Bosh said of Wade, who committed just one turnover. "He's one of the best to ever play, and he is still in his prime. People forget that. He can still put this team on his back."

The Heat needed that type of effort against a Philadelphia team that has lost 24 games in a row dating to last season. The Sixers' most recent win came March 25 at the Denver Nuggets.

Heat center Hassan Whiteside was another big factor with a near triple-double -- 13 points, nine rebounds and eight blocks.

As a team, the Heat blocked 14 shots.

"We knew they were a great paint defensive team," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "You learn how to throw bounce passes and not play in a crowd, not play in traffic. And maybe that extra pass would have been better for us at times."

Bosh, who had 13 points and 11 rebounds, hit a tying 3-pointer with 2:23 left and Miami finally went ahead after two free throws by guard Gerald Green with 1:30 remaining.

The closeness of the game was a surprise, given the reputations and records of the two teams. But perhaps it should not have been a shock considering that during the past two-plus years the Sixers are a dreadful 37-141 yet 3-5 against the Heat, including 2-2 at Miami.

The Sixers were led by reserve guard Isaiah Canaan with 22 points and reserve forward Robert Covington with 21 points.

Covington hit a 3-pointer after starting the season 0 of 18 from beyond the arc. In fact, Covington went 2 of 2 from that same spot -- the left elbow -- in the first period.

At the end of the first quarter, Philadelphia led 28-16, holding Miami to 31.8 percent shooting from the field and forcing eight turnovers. The 76ers turned the ball over just three times and got 13 points off the bench from Covington.

Bridging the first and second quarters, Philadelphia had a 24-4 run.

Things were going so well for the Sixers that Canaan hit a 3-pointer from at least five feet beyond the stripe. Even so, Heat point guard Goran Dragic fouled him, and Canaan converted that into a rare four-point play.

One of the only first-half Heat highlights came when Wade passed 19,000 points, moving past Dale Ellis for 50th place on the NBA career scoring list. Wade later passed Reggie Theus for 49th place.

But even with Wade's 17 first-half points, Philadelphia took a 47-32 lead into the break.

Miami cut its deficit to seven points, trailing 74-67 after three quarters. In fact, the Heat got as close as two points in the third before the Sixers pushed back.

The Sixers broke down offensively in the fourth quarter, shooting a miserable 31.6 percent from the field and scoring just 17 points. They were 1 of 9 on 3-pointers.

"We missed shots we were making earlier," said Sixers center Jahlil Okafor, who had 16 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. "We became stagnant."

Miami closed the game on a 20-4 run.

"We were in position to get our first win, but we couldn't get into anything (offensively) at the end of the game," Brown said. "I think it's a cruel loss."

NOTES: Heat F Luol Deng (illness) missed practice on Friday but started against the 76ers. ... Heat F Amar'e Stoudemire, who has played only two games this season, was a healthy scratch. He scored 10 points in eight minutes off the bench in Miami's previous game, a win over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday. ... The 76ers have only one player older than 24 -- F Carl Landry, 32. The team's youngest player is rookie C Jahlil Okafor, 19. ... The average age of the Sixers starting lineup -- Okafor, F Nerlins Noel, F Jerami Grant, G T.J. McConnell and G Nik Stauskas -- is 21.2. Five 76ers are out injured: C Joel Embiid (foot), Landry (wrist), G Kendall Marshall (knee), G Tony Wroten (knee) and F Richaun Holmes (hamstring). ... Okafor and Heat rookie F Justise Winslow -- teammates last season at Duke -- exchanged greetings before the game.