Heat, Thunder and Bulls pick up wins on Christmas Day
Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade shoots over Los Angeles Lakers center Jordan Hill during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2013. The Heat won 101-95. AP
LOS ANGELES — Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade scored 23 points each as the Miami Heat beat the Los Angeles Lakers 101-95 on Wednesday for their sixth straight win.
Bosh also had 11 rebounds in the Heat’s fifth consecutive victory against the Lakers on Christmas Day. LeBron James added 19 points and Ray Allen had 12.
Miami improved to 7-0 against the Western Conference this season with its 19th straight overall win against West opponents.
Nick Young scored 20 points for the Lakers, who were tied four times in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles was hurt by a poor shooting night in its third straight loss.
THUNDER 123, KNICKS 94
NEW YORK — Kevin Durant scored 29 points and Russell Westbrook had a triple-double by the middle of the third quarter as Oklahoma rolled past New York, which played without Carmelo Anthony.
The Durant-Anthony showdown between the NBA’s top two scorers was canceled because of Anthony’s sprained left ankle, so the Thunder had the Christmas spotlight to themselves while winning for the 10th time in 11 games. The 29-point victory was the largest for a road team on Christmas.
Westbrook finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in his first triple-double of the season and seventh of his career. Serge Ibaka added 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting.
Amare Stoudemire scored a season-high 22 points, and Tim Hardaway Jr. had 21 for the Knicks, who also were missing starting point guard Raymond Felton. J.R. Smith scored 20 points, but shot 8 for 22 and was booed when he left the court for good.
BULLS 95, NETS 78
NEW YORK — Taj Gibson scored 20 points and Jimmy Butler added 15 to help Chicago rout Brooklyn.
Trailing 50-49 early in the third quarter, the Bulls took over behind Butler. He keyed a 21-5 run that gave Chicago control. Butler, who sat out the last game because of a right ankle injury, started the burst with a 3-pointer and had a three-point play that made it 57-52.
Deron Williams scored 18 points for Brooklyn. The Nets have lost four straight.
