Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) shoots in front of Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic, left, and forward Josh McRoberts (17) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Orlando, Fla., Monday, Dec. 31, 2012. The Heat won 112-110 in overtime. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
ORLANDO, Florida–LeBron James had 36 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, and Chris Bosh scored 22 points to help the Miami Heat slip past the Orlando Magic 112-110 in overtime Monday.
James scored eight points in OT, including two free throws that clinched it with 1.5 seconds remaining. Dwayne Wade, who had 21 points, had a dunk with 6.2 seconds to go to give Miami a four-point lead.
Arron Afflalo scored 28 for the Magic and J.J. Redick added 23, but he committed the turnover that led to Wade’s decisive dunk. Nikola Vucevic had 20 points and set a team record with 29 rebounds as Orlando lost its sixth straight. The previous record was 28 rebounds by Shaquille O’Neal in 1993.
James scored on a driving layup with 1:07 left in the extra period to give Miami a 108-106 lead. He missed a shot from the top of the key, giving Orlando a chance to tie, but Shane Battier stole a cross-court pass from Redick and fed Wade for his late slam.
Josh McRoberts cut it to two with two seconds to play, but James sealed it at the line.
BOBCATS 91, BULLS 81
CHICAGO– Kemba Walker had 18 points and eight rebounds to help Charlotte end an 18-game losing streak with a win over Chicago.
Gerald Henderson added 16 points and reserve Ben Gordon had 15 as the Bobcats snapped the second-longest skid in team history. It was their first win in their last 10 road games.
Luol Deng scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Chicago. Carlos Boozer also had a double-double with 19 points and 14 boards.
Charlotte fended off several rallies by the Bulls, who never held a lead, to win for the first time since Nov. 24.
THUNDER 114, SUNS 96
OKLAHOMA CITY– Kevin Durant scored 30 points, and Russell Westbrook returned from a cut above his eye with 24 points, nine assists and seven rebounds as Oklahoma City beat Phoenix.
Oklahoma City extended its home winning streak to 12 games — the longest in the NBA this season — and won on New Year’s Eve for the fifth straight year since the franchise moved from Seattle. The Thunder closed 2012 by winning 15 of their last 17 games.
Luis Scola scored 24 points to lead the Suns, who dropped their sixth straight game overall and seventh consecutive meeting against the Thunder. The Suns haven’t beaten Oklahoma City since December 19, 2010.
SPURS 104, NETS 73
SAN ANTONIO– Tony Parker had 20 points and San Antonio Spurs held Brooklyn to only five points in the third quarter in a win over the Nets.
Tim Duncan added 15 points and Nando DeColo had 11, while Kawhi Leonard, Tiago Splitter and Matt Bonner chipped in 10 apiece for San Antonio (25-8), which went 9-0 at home in December.
MarShon Brooks had a season-high 16 points to lead Brooklyn (16-15), which suffered its first loss under interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo. Joe Johnson added 12 points and Brook Lopez had 11, but Deron Williams was held to eight points and one assist.
San Antonio set a franchise low for fewest points by an opponent in a quarter.
PACERS 88, GRIZZLIES 83
INDIANAPOLIS–Paul George had 21 points, six rebounds and five assists to lead Indiana to a win over Memphis.
DJ Augustin had 17 points and six assists, and David West had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Pacers, who have won five of their last six games.
Zach Randolph had 21 points and 15 rebounds, and Marc Gasol had 13 points for the Grizzlies, who have dropped three of the last four.
West scored the go ahead three throws with 6:09 to play to give the Pacers a 72-71 lead after they trailed by as much as 10 in the second half.
ROCKETS 123, HAWKS 104
HOUSTON–James Harden had 28 points and Houston rebounded from its worst loss of the season with a win over Atlanta.
The Rockets were coming off a 30-point defeat by Oklahoma City and had allowed at least 120 points in their last two games — both losses. They used a 16-0 run in the second quarter to build a big lead and hold on for the win.
Lou Williams had 21 points for the Hawks, whose winning streak ended at four games.
Houston was up by 15 points in the fourth quarter before Atlanta used a 12-2 run to cut the lead to 102-97 with about five minutes remaining. The Rockets answered with an 8-0 run to regain control.