LeBron James tallied 35 points and had 10 rebounds as the Miami Heat bounced back with a vengeance to beat San Antonio 98-96 in game two of the NBA finals.

Chris Bosh finished with 18 points and Rashard Lewis and Dwyane Wade each scored 14 points for the two-time defending NBA champion Heat, who knotted the championship series with the Spurs at one game apiece.

James, who had his toughness questioned after game one, helped the Heat maintain their streak of following up playoff defeats with victories.

They have now rebounded from post-season defeats with victories 13 straight times, the longest active streak of its kind in the league.

James connected on 14-of-22 from the field in 38 minutes of playing time, and was the biggest factor when the game was on the line in the fourth quarter.

 Tim Duncan paced the Spurs attack with 18 points and 15 rebounds. His 157th career playoff double-double tied him for the most all-time with Magic Johnson but wasn't enough to hold off the Heat. Duncan has scored in double figures in 222 of his 231 career playoff games.

Tony Parker finished with 21 points and seven assists while Manu Ginobili came off the bench to score 19 points for the Spurs, who are trying to win their fifth NBA title since 1999 after losing in seven games to the Heat last season.

The best-of-seven series shifts to Miami for game three on Tuesday.