Heat beat Bulls sans James; Clippers outduel Thunder
Miami Heat’s LeBron James, right, high-fives Dwyane Wade (3) during a time out in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, in Miami. The Heat defeated the Bulls 93-79. AP
MIAMI — With LeBron James watching from the bench in a suit and tie as Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade powered the Miami Heat to a 93-79 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.
James was a late scratch after he broke his nose in Thursday’s win at Oklahoma City, and his teammates picked up the slack, with reserves Chris Andersen, Michael Beasley and Ray Allen helping the Heat pull away in the second half.
Bosh had 28 points and 10 rebounds. Wade added 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
The Bulls also were also short-handed. Starter Jimmy Butler was a late scratch because of bruised ribs.
Joakim Noah had 20 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks for Chicago, which had won five in a row. The Bulls shot 36 percent.
Miami, playing at home for the first time in 20 days, extended its winning streak to five games.
CLIPPERS 125, THUNDER 117
OKLAHOMA CITY — Jamal Crawford scored 36 points to help the Clippers get the win.
Matt Barnes scored 24 points and Chris Paul had 18 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds for the Clippers, who snapped a two-game skid.
Kevin Durant had 42 points and 10 assists and Serge Ibaka added 20 points for the Thunder, who lost their second straight. It was the most points the Thunder have allowed this season.
Oklahoma City overcame a 15-point deficit late in the third quarter to take a 115-112 lead on a 3-pointer by Durant with 2:43 to play, but the Clippers controlled the game from there.
A 3-pointer by Crawford with 1:30 remaining gave Los Angeles a 119-115 lead.
WIZARDS 96, CAVALIERS 83
CLEVELAND — John Wall scored 21 points and Bradley Beal had 17, leading Washington to the road victory.
The Wizards held the Cavaliers to 11 fourth-quarter points to return to .500 at 28-28 on the season. They also strengthened their hold on the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
The strong defensive performance in the final period came after Washington lost Nene to a sprained left knee midway through the third quarter. He had eight points, four rebounds and four assists in 21 minutes.
Luol Deng led Cleveland with 17 points. The Cavaliers played without center Anderson Varejao (sore back) and guards Dion Waiters (hyperextended left knee) and C.J. Miles (sprained left ankle).
Spencer Hawes, playing his second game since being acquired from Philadelphia on Thursday, had 16 points and 12 rebounds for Cleveland.
RAPTORS 105, MAGIC 90
TORONTO — Kyle Lowry scored 28 points, DeMar DeRozan had 24 as the Raptors handed the Magic their 15th straight road loss.
Terrence Ross scored 16 and Amir Johnson had 12 points and eight rebounds before leaving with a sprained right ankle in the Raptors’ fifth victory in six games.
Toronto improved to 12-3 in its past 15 home games and moved six games above .500 for the first time since Feb 24, 2010, when its record was also 31-25.
Tobias Harris scored 28 points and E’Twaun Moore had 16 as the Magic opened a four-game trip with their fourth loss in five games.
