Miami Heat forward LeBron James, front left, battles for control of a rebound with Denver Nuggets forward J.J. Hickson, front right, as Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler, far left, and Heat center Chris Bosh look on in the third quarter of the Heat’s 97-94 victory in an NBA basketball game in Denver on Monday, Dec. 30, 2013. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
DENVER—LeBron James returned from a groin injury to score 26 points on his birthday, and the Miami Heat beat the skidding Denver Nuggets 97-94 Monday night despite losing Dwyane Wade and Norris Cole during the game.
James, who turned 29 on Monday, injured his groin Friday during the Heat’s overtime loss at Sacramento. He sat out the following game, a 108-107 win Saturday in Portland, before coming back to help send the Nuggets to their seventh consecutive defeat.
Chris Bosh had 17 points and Ray Allen 13, including six in the final 5:08, as Miami won for the ninth time in 11 games.
Ty Lawson had 26 points to lead the Nuggets, who lost their second straight to Miami at the Pepsi Center after winning the previous 10 in a row.
Cole left midway through the third quarter after taking a fall at the end of a driving layup attempt and hitting his face on the floor. He had come into the game in place of Wade, who didn’t return after halftime because of back spasms, the Heat said on Twitter.
PELICANS 110, TRAIL BLAZERS 108
NEW ORLEANS—Tyreke Evans hit a pull-up jumper from 17 feet with 1.2 seconds left to lift New Orleans over Portland.
Evans’ big basket came right after Portland’s Damian Lillard, who has hit several game-winners this season, made a contested 3-pointer to tie the score at 108.
Jrue Holiday scored 15 of his season-high 31 points in the fourth quarter and tied a season high with 13 assists for the Pelicans, who won their fourth in a row at home. Anthony Davis added 27 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks. Evans had 20 points.
Davis forced LaMarcus Aldridge into a tough shot from the baseline that bounced off the top of the backboard as time ran out.
Lillard scored 29 points and Aldridge had 28 for the Trail Blazers (24-7), who lost their second straight.
MAVERICKS 100, TIMBERWOLVES 98
MINNEAPOLIS—Shawn Marion scored 32 points and hit two huge 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help Dallas withstand a furious second-half charge from Minnesota.
Dirk Nowitzki had 16 points for the Mavericks, who led by 19 late in the first half before the Wolves came back.
Kevin Love had 36 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, and his 3-pointer 90 seconds into the fourth quarter gave the Wolves an 86-85 lead. They led 90-87 midway through the period, but Marion hit two 3-pointers during a 10-0 run to put the Mavericks back in front.
Love had a shot to win it on the last possession, but Marion knocked his shot out of bounds. Love thought he was fouled, and replays appeared to support him. But no whistle was blown.
Marion made 14 of 19 shots and also had six rebounds and three assists. He topped 30 points for the first time since the 2008-09 season.
SUNS 107, CLIPPERS 88
LOS ANGELES—Goran Dragic had 26 points and eight assists before sitting out the fourth quarter, Gerald Green added 21 points off the bench, and Phoenix ended the year with a rout of Los Angeles.
The Suns have won 10 of their last 12 after a 9-9 start under first-year coach Jeff Hornacek, and trail the defending Pacific Division champion Clippers by a half-game for the top spot.
Blake Griffin and Jamal Crawford each scored 15 points for Los Angeles, while Chris Paul had 11 points and seven assists. It was the most lopsided loss of the season for the Clippers, who beat the Suns the previous three times they hosted them — by an average margin of 20 points.
Eric Bledsoe, Phoenix’s leading scorer, had seven points and four assists over 31 minutes in his first game against his former team.
WIZARDS 106, PISTONS 99
AUBURN HILLS, Mich.—John Wall scored 29 points and Washington became the latest team to rally past Detroit in the fourth quarter.
Washington trailed 87-78 before starting the final period with a 17-4 run. The Pistons never went back ahead.
Brandon Jennings had 15 points and 14 assists for Detroit, which has lost five of six.
Trevor Ariza scored 15 points for the Wizards, who also beat Detroit 106-82 on Saturday in Washington.
Bradley Beal scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half for Washington.
The Wizards (14-14) are at .500 after 28 games for the first time since finishing the 2007-08 season 43-39, according to STATS.
BULLS 95, GRIZZLIES 91
MEMPHIS, Tenn.—Jimmy Butler scored 14 of his 26 points in the third quarter and Carlos Boozer added 21 points and 10 rebounds in Chicago’s victory over Memphis.
Butler shot 6 for 10 from the field and 12 of 14 at the foul line in a team-high 41 minutes. D.J. Augustin had 10 points off the bench for the Bulls, including eight in the fourth period as Memphis tried to make a late run.
Mike Conley finished with 26 points, nine assists, six rebounds and six steals to lead the Grizzlies.
The Bulls won despite playing again without leading scorer Luol Deng, who missed his fifth straight game with a sore left Achilles.
JAZZ 83, BOBCATS 80
SALT LAKE CITY—Trey Burke beat the shot clock on a driving layup with 19 seconds left and scored 21 points to power Utah past Charlotte.
Alec Burks added 14 points, and Derrick Favors and Marvin Williams added 13 apiece to carry the Jazz to their 10th straight win over the Bobcats.
Gerald Henderson had 19 points, none in the fourth quarter, and Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker both scored 18 in the Bobcats’ first stop on a four-game Western Conference swing.
The Jazz held Charlotte to 37 percent shooting and spoiled Jefferson’s return to Utah, where he spent the last three seasons.