O'Neal found Christian Laettner for easy layups on consecutive possessions late in the fourth quarter as the Miami Heat rallied for a 106-98 victory over the reeling Toronto Raptors.
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"I like to consider myself an unselfish player," said O'Neal, who contributed 20 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four blocks. "When there's two guys on me, somebody's open. They were doubling me from the 4-spot, so my guys were really close to the basket and I was just trying to give them nice easy passes for the high-percentage shot."
The loss extended Toronto's season-high losing streak to seven games. The Raptors led by as many as 11 points in the first half but scored 18 points in the fourth period.
"We didn't get it done," said Jalen Rose, who scored 25 points. "We had the lead, we were executing. I think in the fourth quarter they understood exactly what they wanted to do with the ball."
Toronto closed to 88-87 on Morris Peterson's 3-pointer with 5:58 remaining, but Damon Jones answered with a 3-pointer 18 seconds later.
"We were able to execute and make plays down the stretch," said Jones, who scored 10 of his 16 points in the fourth period. "Shaq did a great job when those guys came to double and Dwyane Wade breaks down guys off the dribble, which leaves me open for my three."
With the Heat holding a 93-90 lead, O'Neal twice found Laettner alone underneath the basket to make it 97-90 with 2:17 remaining. Laettner scored six of his 10 points in the final period.
"He's (Shaq) doing a great job for us passing the ball," Laettner said. "He's an incredible player. We're learning how to play when people pack in against him. You have to keep your hands ready, even when he's not looking at you."
O'Neal also is enjoying playing with Laettner, who made 5-of-6 shots.
"He's a good player, a very smart player," O'Neal said. "I like when he's out there. We have a lot of guys that came come off the bench and contribute."
Wade also scored 20 points for the Heat, who improved to 11-0 this season when eclipsing the century mark. Udonis Haslem added 17 and Rasual Butler chipped in 11.
"We played the game better defensively in the second half," Miami coach Stan Van Gundy said. "we held them under 40 percent and that's what really got us going."
Rafer Alston added 19 points for the Raptors, who have not won since a 94-92 victory at Miami on Nov. 30.
"Our guys are playing hard," Raptors coach Sam Mitchell said. "They're beat up and they're tired. That's been the story of our season so far - rebounds and loose balls - and we just don't get those extra possessions."