Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Dwyane Wade scored a game-high 34 points and the
Miami Heat used a strong second-half to defeat the Brooklyn Nets, 102-89, and
take sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference. Both teams
entered the contest winners of five straight, but the Heat outscored the Nets
52-30 over the final two quarters to notch their 12th win of the season and to
keep their streak going. LeBron James followed with a strong performance as
well, finishing with 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists in Miami's 12th
straight victory over the Nets. Without starting center Brook Lopez, who sat
for the second straight game with an injured foot, Andray Blatche stepped up
for the Nets and tallied a team- high 20 points to go along with eight
rebounds. Deron Williams finished with 10 points and 12 assists in the loss.
Final Score: Chicago 93, Philadelphia 88
Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Luol Deng filled the stat sheet with 25 points,
seven assists and six rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls past the Philadelphia
76ers, 93-88, at the United Center. Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah each added a
double-double for Chicago, which won its second straight game and earned a bit
of payback for being eliminated in the first round of last season's playoffs
by Philadelphia. Boozer finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Noah
had 12 points and 13 boards in the win. Jrue Holiday scored a team-high 23
points and Thaddeus Young followed with 22 for the 76ers, who had a three-game
win streak snapped.
Final Score: Houston 124, Utah 116
Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Patrick Patterson had 20 points and was one of
seven Houston players to score in double-digits as the Rockets used a late run
to take a 124-116 win over the Utah Jazz. Chandler Parsons and Jeremy Lin each
had 19 points, James Harden added 18 points and seven assists while Omer Asik
posted 14 points and 12 boards for the Rockets, who have won four of their
last five. Greg Smith and Carlos Delfino each posted 13 points off the bench.
Gordon Hayward scored 21 points while Al Jefferson and Randy Foye each gave 20
points for the Jazz, who have dropped their past two games.
Final Score: Oklahoma City 100, New Orleans 79
New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - Kevin Durant poured in 20 points and
grabbed eight rebounds, despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter, to lead
the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 100-79 win over the New Orleans Hornets on
Saturday. Russell Westbrook had 18 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and three
steals and Kevin Martin added 19 points for the Thunder, who have won five
straight. Nick Collison added 12 points and Kendrick Perkins chipped in with
10 points in the victory. Ryan Anderson had 21 points and 10 rebounds and
Robin Lopez netted 12 for the Hornets, who have dropped nine of their last 10
overall.
The Sports Network