Miami Heat extend winning streak to 10 games
Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) shoots over Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017, in Miami. AP
MIAMI — Hassan Whiteside scored 30 points and grabbed 20 rebounds while Dion Waiters needed only 10 shots to score 21 points as the Miami Heat pushed their winning streak to 10 games with an easy 125-102 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.
Whiteside had a double-double after the first 9:38 and posted the first 30-20 game of his career even while sitting out the fourth quarter.
Goran Dragic had 16 points and eight assists for Miami and Tyler Johnson also scored 16. The 10-game streak is the longest current one in the NBA and ties Houston for the second-longest in the league this season. Golden State won 12 straight in November.
Ersan Ilyasova scored 21 for Philadelphia, which was without Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor and Robert Covington. Embiid missed his fifth straight game with a left knee problem, and Okafor sat with right knee soreness. Covington has a right hand contusion.
PACERS 105, PISTONS 84
INDIANAPOLIS — Paul George scored 21 points to help the Indiana Pacers extend their season-best winning streak to six games with a victory over the Detroit Pistons.
Lavoy Allen had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers, replacing an injured Thaddeus Young, who sat out with a sprained left wrist. Myles Turner, CJ Miles and All Jefferson all finished with 13 points for Indiana.
Indiana took control of the game during a 20-5 run in the third quarter. A 10-point deficit entering the fourth quarter would prove to be too much to overcome for the Pistons.
Marcus Morris led Detroit with 19 points. Jon Leuer added 14 points and seven rebounds, and Andre Drummond had 13 points and nine rebounds.
HAWKS 113, MAGIC 86
ATLANTA — Paul Millsap scored 21 points, all in the first three quarters, as the Atlanta Hawks never trailed in their runaway win over the Orlando Magic.
Tim Hardaway Jr. also had 21 points for Atlanta. Hardaway continued to make the most of his chance to start as Thabo Sefolosha missed his fourth straight game with a groin injury.
Millsap, Dennis Schroder and Dwight Howard sat out the fourth quarter. Schroder had 17 points and 10 assists.
Aaron Gordon led Orlando with 16 points. Elfrid Payton had 10 as Orlando’s only other starter to score in double figures.
The Hawks have won three of four and 15 of 20 to move to a season-high nine games over .500 at 30-21.
WIZARDS 105, PELICANS 91
WASHINGTON — John Wall had 24 points and 13 assists and Markieff Morris scored 18 points as the Washington Wizards held New Orleans scoreless for the final 5:52 of the fourth quarter to beat the Pelicans for their seventh straight win.
Washington has its longest winning streak since a seven-game stretch in Jan., 2005. The Wizards extended their home winning streak to 17 games, second-longest in franchise history.
Anthony Davis had 25 points and 10 rebounds to lead New Orleans, which lost its fourth straight. The Pelicans were held scoreless after Tyreke Evans hit a 3-pointer to take a 91-90 lead with 5:52 to play.
Morris’ dunk 12 seconds later put the Wizards ahead and started a game-closing 15-0 run. CBB
