NBA Capsules: James, Heat beat Pistons 103-89 for 25th straight victory

PHOENIX – Another game, another double-digit rally for the Miami Heat.

And most importantly, another win.

LeBron James scored 29 points, Dwyane Wade added 19 and the Heat extended their winning streak to 25 games by pulling away in the second half and beating the Detroit Pistons 103-89 on Friday night.

Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers scored 11 apiece for Miami, which shook off yet another slow start to move within eight of tying the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers for the longest winning streak in NBA history. The Heat also won at home for the 16th straight time.

James added eight rebounds and eight assists for Miami, whose magic number for clinching the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference is now three.

Greg Monroe finished with 23 points and 15 rebounds for Detroit, which dropped its 10th straight game.

WIZARDS 103, LAKERS 100

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Trevor Ariza hit a career-high seven 3-pointers on his way to 25 points, John Wall added 24 and Washington rallied from an 18-point second-half deficit to beat Los Angeles in Kobe Bryant’s return from a two-game absence with a sprained left ankle.

Wall had 16 assists, and Nene scored 15 points for the Wizards, who won their second straight while improving to 7-26 on the road.

Down 2 points, Kobe Bryant missed a short open jumper with 5 seconds to go and Metta World Peace fouled Wall, who made both free throws. After a timeout, Bryant’s 3-pointer drew the Lakers to 101-100 with 2 seconds left. But Bryant fouled Wall with 1 second to go, and he again made both.

The Lakers got the ball to Bryant one last time, and he launched a 3-point attempt from the right sideline that missed as time expired.

Bryant finished with 21 points and 11 assists, and Dwight Howard had 20 points and 15 rebounds

THUNDER 97, MAGIC 89

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 11 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, Russell Westbrook had 19 points and Oklahoma snapped a two-game skid by beating Orlando.

The Magic briefly took a one-point lead in the final period, but the Thunder hit eight of their final 10 free throws to help seal the victory.

Maurice Harkless scored 25 points and Jameer Nelson had 16 for Orlando, which lost its sixth straight.

KNICKS 99, RAPTORS 94

TORONTO (AP) — Carmelo Anthony scored 37 points, Kenyon Martin added 19 points and 11 rebounds, and New York clinched a playoff berth by sending Toronto to its third straight loss.

Martin shot 9 of 10 from the field and didn’t miss until 1:40 remained in the game, J.R. Smith scored 14 points and the Knicks earned their 41st win. That guaranteed they’ll reach the playoffs for the third straight season.

The defeat was a double blow for Toronto, which lost for the 11th time in 15 games and saw forward Rudy Gay leave in the second with a sore back. He did not return.

Alan Anderson scored a career-high 35 points, DeMar DeRozan had 18 and Jonas Valanciunas 10 for the Raptors.

SPURS 104, JAZZ 97, OT

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Tony Parker had 22 points in his return from an eight-game absence, Tim Duncan added 19 points and 16 rebounds and San Antonio sent Utah to its third straight loss.

Kawhi Leonard added 21 points, including five in overtime, and Danny Green had 15 points for San Antonio, which remains 2 1/2 games ahead of Oklahoma City in the West.

Mo Williams scored 23 points, Al Jefferson had 18 and Alec Burks 14 for Utah.

MAVERICKS 104, CELTICS 94

DALLAS (AP) — Dirk Nowitzki scored 22 points, Shawn Marion had a double-double in his return from a calf injury to spoil Jason Terry’s return to Dallas.

Terry scored eight in his first game in Dallas since leaving for Boston in free agency. He was the latest key piece the Mavericks decided not to keep since beating Miami in the 2011 NBA Finals.

Terry was known for 3-point shooting and clutch fourth quarters with the Mavericks, but he missed both 3-pointers for the game and was just 1 of 3 shooting without a try from long range in the final quarter.

Paul Pierce and Brandon Bass led Boston with 16 points apiece, and Bass added 11 rebounds.

TRAIL BLAZERS 104, HAWKS 93

ATLANTA (AP) — Wesley Matthews scored 28 points to lead three teammates with at least 20 points and Portland beat Atlanta for its second road win in as many nights.

Damian Lillard scored 22 points and LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points and 13 rebounds, giving him at least 20 points in seven straight games.

Josh Smith had 24 points and 10 rebounds for Atlanta, which completed a disappointing 1-2 homestand. Jeff Teague added 21 points and Al Horford had 15 points with 11 rebounds.

PACERS 102, BUCKS 78

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Tyler Hansbrough had 22 points and 12 rebounds to lead Indiana to its third straight win.

Paul George added 20 points and had Roy Hibbert had 11 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks for the Pacers.

Monta Ellis had 22 points and Samuel Dalembert had 10 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Bucks, who have lost five of seven.

ROCKETS 116, CAVALIERS 78

HOUSTON (AP) — James Harden scored 20 points, Chandler Parsons and Omer Asik added 13 apiece and Houston routed cold-shooting Cleveland.

Thomas Robinson scored 15 points and Greg Smith grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds off the bench for the Rockets, who stayed in the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference. Asik also grabbed 11 rebounds for Houston, which has won four of five games on its current homestand.

Shaun Livingston scored 14 points for the Cavaliers, who’ve dropped five in a row and nine of their last 11 games.

HORNETS 90, GRIZZLIES 83

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Robin Lopez had 23 points, including a key putback and a pair of free throws in the final 1:11, and New Orleans won its second straight.

Lopez also had 10 rebounds for New Orleans, Anthony Davis added 18 points and 15 boards, and Greivis Vasquez had 12 points and nine assists.

Mike Conley scored 20 points while nearly leading the Grizzlies back from a 16-point fourth-quarter hole. His consecutive 3s had Memphis within 83-81 with 2:36 left, but Vasquez answered with a big 3 and Lopez’s putback made it 88-81.

Marc Gasol had 16 points for the Grizzlies, while Zach Randolph added 14 and Jerryd Bayless 12.

TIMBERWOLVES 117, SUNS 86

Andrei Kirilenko scored 20 points and Minnesota routed slumping Phoenix to snap a nine-game road losing streak.

Reserve Dante Cunningham added 18 points, Greg Stiemsma had 14 and four others were in double figures for the Timberwolves, who won for the fourth time in 16 games.

Minnesota set season highs for total points, first-half points (67) and second-quarter points (35) in snapping a 13-game road losing streak against Western Conference opponents.

Luis Scola had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Goran Dragic added 13 points and 10 assists for the Suns, who have lost six of seven and eight of their past 10.