Ray Allen (R) of the Miami Heat . AFP FILE PHOTO
MIAMI – Ray Allen came off the bench to score 25 points while LeBron James and Dwyane Wade each added 24 Sunday as reigning NBA champion Miami beat Houston 113-104.
The Heat had lost five of their prior six games but Miami went on a 15-2 run over the last 3:40 to beat the Rockets and collect a crucial victory.
“It was massive,” Allen said.
“Every loss we had was mounting. They were games that were winnable. This time we came out and finished. We didn’t let the game slip away from us.”
Allen’s season-best point total allowed the Heat to snap a two-game home losing streak, Miami’s only back-to-back home defeats since the 2010-11 season.
“We knew the matchups and we executed. We worked the ball around and we made the plays and got the job done,” Allen said.
“LeBron and D-Wade made the plays. I just have to get open and be ready when they get me the ball. I never know how I get open but I manage to do it.”
The Heat improved to 45-19, still three games behind Indiana for the best record in the Eastern Conference.
James Harden netted a game-high 30 points for Houston while Dwight Howard scored 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Rockets, who rank third in the NBA in scoring.
Patrick Beverley added 15 points for the Rockets, who beat Miami in Texas earlier this month to snap a seven-game losing streak in meetings with the Heat.
The Rockets, 44-22, suffered their fifth loss in a row in games at Miami and stayed winless in a road swing that began at Oklahoma City and Chicago.