O'Neal scored 26 points, including four during a decisive fourth-quarter run, as the Heat posted a 100-88 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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LeBron James, who became a first-time All-Star starter before the game, drew Cleveland within 77-76 with a pair of free throws with 8:31 to go in the fourth quarter. But O'Neal, who will start alongside James in the All-Star Game, ignited a 9-0 run with a dunk with 8:10 left and capped the burst with a layup just over two minutes later.
"That's what turned it on for them," James said. "He made some great plays with the basketball. He got his teammates into the game."
"They are a tough team," O'Neal said. "We got into a lapse again but maintained our composure in the end. Eddie (Jones) hit some great shots in the fourth quarter. We played some great team basketball."
Cleveland center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who scored 23 points, had nothing but praise for O'Neal.
"Shaq is the best big man in the league," he said. "You waste so much energy playing against him on defense that you don't have much left on the offensive end."
"He was unbelievable," Cavaliers coach Paul Silas added. "He kept us scrambling all game long, which made us break our zone defense. Then Eddie Jones got a lot of open looks and made them all. I do not think they missed a shot in the fourth quarter."
The Heat actually missed eight shots in the final 12 minutes, including three by O'Neal, who failed to hit a pair of shots down the stretch of Miami's loss to Dallas on Tuesday. O'Neal's dunk that began the Heat's run followed five misses and accounted for the team's first points of the quarter.
Miami nearly was flawless afterward, making 8-of-11 shots, including two 3-pointers by Jones.
"If we go out and defend like we did down the stretch and make shots, great things can happen," Jones said.
O'Neal pulled down 12 rebounds, Jones scored 22 points and Dwyane Wade added 20 for Miami, which has won four of its last five games.
James had 31 points and 10 assists, Ilgauskas scored 23 and Drew Gooden chipped in 10 and 12 boards for the Cavaliers, who have dropped three of four.
Cleveland opened the game with a 9-2 spurt, including seven points by Ilgauskas, who ended the quarter with 11.
"Probably one of the best things to happen to us tonight was Ilgauskas getting off to a great start," Miami coach Stan Van Gundy said. "It sort of woke Shaq up, and he took over from there. Ilgauskas had five great minutes to start the game and then it was pretty one-sided after that."