MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade scored 21 of his 32 points in the first half, Goran Dragic added 20 and the Miami Heat handed LeBron James another loss on his former home floor with a 106-92 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night.
Hassan Whiteside had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Mario Chalmers finished with 16 points off the bench for the Heat, who won both of James’ regular-season trips to Miami this season — his first two games back since leaving the team and returning to Cleveland last summer.
Miami closed the first half on a 19-5 run to take a 56-38 lead and pushed the margin to 25 in the third.
James scored 16 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter for Cleveland, which had its four-game winning streak snapped. Kyrie Irving added 21.
MAVERICKS 119, THUNDER 115
DALLAS (AP) — Chandler Parsons scored 31 points, Dirk Nowitzki added 22 with some big 3-pointers and Dallas rallied from 15 down in the third quarter to beat Oklahoma City.
Russell Westbrook just missed his seventh triple-double in 10 games, finishing with 24 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds. But he picked up his fifth and sixth fouls 0.6 seconds apart trying to bring the Thunder back in the final minute.
The Mavericks moved into fifth place in the Western Conference and put a little more distance between themselves and the Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans, who are a half-game apart in the race for the final playoff spot.
Rajon Rondo had 11 points and 13 assists for his first double-double in those categories since Dec. 22, his second game with Dallas after getting traded by Boston. Monta Ellis scored 24 and made four free throws in the final 31 seconds.
WARRIORS 108, LAKERS 105
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Klay Thompson scored 26 points, Stephen Curry had 19 points and nine assists and Golden State secured a playoff spot before beating the depleted Lakers.
The Warriors sealed their postseason berth during a timeout late in the second quarter when they learned Oklahoma City lost 119-115 at Dallas. The videoboards above halfcourt displayed “CLINCHED,” and fans inside the sold-out arena gave the home team a standing ovation.
It’s the first time the franchise has made the playoffs in three consecutive seasons since 1975-77.
The Lakers (17-49), who have tormented Golden State for most of the last three decades, are the team trying to climb out of the Pacific Division cellar now. Los Angeles kept the game close but never overtook the Warriors in the final minutes.
HAWKS 110, KINGS 103
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Jeff Teague scored 23 points and Paul Millsap added 19 points and 10 rebounds to help Atlanta set a franchise record with its 23rd road win of the season.
DeMarre Carroll added 16 points and Shelvin Mack had 14 for the Eastern Conference-leading Hawks, who have won 10 of 12 games overall and 14 straight against Sacramento.
DeMarcus Cousins scored 20 points and Jason Thompson added 18 for the Kings, who have lost seven of eight and continue to struggle following their second coaching change of the season.
Sacramento fell to 4-10 under George Karl, who replaced Tyrone Corbin as coach last month. Corbin took over for the fired Michael Malone in December.
RAPTORS 117, PACERS 98
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Kyle Lowry had 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, Lou Williams scored 24 points, and Toronto pulled away from Indiana.
The Raptors (40-27) set a franchise record by earning their 40th win in just 67 games. They had never achieved that feat in fewer than 70.
Indiana (30-36) lost its second straight despite getting 23 points from George Hill and 20 from Rodney Stuckey.
WIZARDS 105, TRAIL BLAZERS 97
WASHINGTON (AP) — John Wall had 21 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds and two blocks, and Washington let a 25-point lead dwindle to three before beating Portland.
Two nights after becoming the first NBA team to trail by 18 at halftime before eventually winning by 16, in a home victory against Sacramento, the Wizards were the ones who nearly blew a large advantage.
But they held on for their fourth consecutive victory, a streak that began right after a 4-13 stretch.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 24 points and 12 rebounds, and Nicolas Batum added 12 points and a season-high 15 boards for Portland, which had won three games in a row and eight of its last nine.
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