Utah cools off Heat, snaps Miami’s win streak

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SALT LAKE CITY — Devin Harris converted a three-point play with 4.5 seconds left and the Utah Jazz snapped the Miami Heat’s nine-game winning streak with a 99-98 victory on Friday night.

LeBron James had 35 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots for Miami, but passed on the final possession to Udonis Haslem, who missed a long jumper at the buzzer.

Dwyane Wade chipped in 31 points and six rebounds. Shane Battier also added 18 points for the Heat (28-8), who were playing without All-Star Chris Bosh.

Al Jefferson came up with 20 points and six rebounds to lead the Jazz (17-18) to their second straight win. Five other players scored in double figures for Utah, led by C.J. Miles with 14 points off the bench.

James led a big fourth-quarter rally, making the go-ahead 3-pointer and then adding a long jumper to give the Heat a 97-94 lead with 26 seconds left. Miami had a chance to put it away, but Wade missed a free throw down the stretch and that put Harris in a position to tie the game or give the Jazz the lead.

Utah dominated Miami in the first half in a fashion. The Jazz collected 29 rebounds compared to 13 for Miami. They grabbed two more offensive rebounds than the total rebounds the Heat collected as a team. Utah totaled 36 points in the paint versus 14 for Miami and scored 20 second-chance points compared to five for the Heat.

Battier burned the Jazz from the perimeter throughout the first quarter. The veteran forward buried all four 3-pointers he attempted in the first quarter and it helped the Heat carve out a 21-16 lead.

LAKERS 115, KINGS 107

LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant scored 38 points in his second straight big game in a protective mask, and Los Angeles blew most of a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter before holding on to beat Sacramento in its highest-scoring performance of the season.

Andrew Bynum had 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Lakers, who improved to 16-1 at home since losing their season opener on Christmas. Pau Gasol added 15 points, and Metta World Peace scored eight of his 15 points in the final 5 minutes when the Lakers finally countered a lengthy rally by Sacramento’s reserves.

Francisco Garcia scored 18 points to lead seven Kings in double figures in their eighth loss in 10 games.

76ERS 105, WARRIORS 83

PHILADELPHIA — Lou Williams scored 25 points, and Elton Brand had 14 points and 14 rebounds to lead Philadelphia over Golden State in the 50th anniversary of Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game.

The Sixers topped 100 points for the first time in 20 games on the night they paid tribute to the record Chamberlain set for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962, at the Hershey Sports Arena.

The Sixers gave fans pieces of the court and honored Chamberlain’s sisters and former teammates during a halftime ceremony.

On that memorable night, Chamberlain scored 41 points by halftime and 69 points through three quarters. The Sixers had 50 points at the break and 75 points through three on Friday.

Andre Iguodala had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Sixers. Thaddeus Young scored 16 points.

BULLS 112, CAVALIERS 91

CLEVELAND — Luol Deng scored a season-high 24 points, Derrick Rose added 19, and Chicago won its fifth straight with a victory over Cleveland, which was without rookie guard Kyrie Irving.

Up by 12 at halftime, Chicago built a 24-point lead in the third quarter and coasted to its 12th win in 14 games to stay on Miami’s heels for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

Carlos Boozer added 13 points and 11 rebounds as the Bulls won their seventh straight over Cleveland.

Irving has been fighting a flu bug for several days and missed his fourth game. The Cavs sorely missed their leading scorer and playmaker while dropping their fourth straight.

Antawn Jamison scored 22 for Cleveland, 0-3 since the All-Star break.

SUNS 81, CLIPPERS 78

PHOENIX — Jared Dudley scored 22 points and made two crucial free throws in the final minute and Phoenix rallied from an 11-point deficit to beat Los Angeles.

Marcin Gortat had 18 points and 14 rebounds, and Grant Hill added 14 points for the Suns, who won for the fourth time in five games despite shooting 35 percent from the floor.

Channing Frye was emblematic of both the Suns’ offensive struggles and defensive success, shooting 2 of 18 from the floor but adding a key free throw and pulled down 14 rebounds.

Blake Griffin scored 17 points, Chris Paul had 16 and Kenyon Martin added 14 off the bench for the Clippers, who have lost two of three.

NUGGETS 117, ROCKETS 105

HOUSTON — Ty Lawson had 22 points and a career-high 15 assists, Arron Afflalo scored 16 of his 17 points in the second half, and Denver rallied to beat Houston.

Kenneth Faried added 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Andre Miller scored 16 for the Nuggets, who shook off a dismal shooting start and ended up with seven players scoring in double figures.

Kevin Martin scored a season-high 35 points, but the Rockets were outrebounded 49-35 and gave up a season-high 33 second-chance points to lose for just the third time in eight games. Denver had 19 offensive rebounds.

Corey Brewer scored 15, Al Harrington had 13 and Kosta Koufos 10 for the Nuggets, who won for the third time in eight games.

CELTICS 107, NETS 94

BOSTON — Paul Pierce had 27 points and eight assists, and Boston got back above .500 with its third straight win.

Kevin Garnett added 20 points and 10 rebounds for his second straight double-double and third in four games. Rajon Rondo joined him with a double-double, finishing with 14 points and 13 assists for Boston (18-17).

The Celtics were playing without Ray Allen, who was sick Friday night, but still controlled nearly the entire game and had five players score in double figures.

HORNETS 97, MAVERICKS 92

NEW ORLEANS — Chris Kaman had 20 points and 13 rebounds, Jarrett Jack hit a key basket down the stretch, and New Orleans beat Dallas.

The Hornets led for the entire second half but did not secure the win until Jack hit a leaning jumper with 17.9 seconds left, giving them a 93-89 lead. Xavier Henry added a season-high 19 points off the bench. Jack finished with 15 points and six assists.

Dirk Nowitzki added 19 points, but was only 7 of 19 from the floor as Dallas lost a season-high fourth in a row. Jason Terry was one of nine from the field, and Jason Kidd had only one field goal.

Rodrigue Beaubois had a season-high 25 points for Dallas, making 11 of 17 shots after starting for the first time in 13 games.

HAWKS 99, BUCKS 94

ATLANTA — Vladimir Radmanovic made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 11.9 seconds remaining and Atlanta rallied in the final period to beat Milwaukee.

Jannero Pargo scored 11 points, all in the fourth quarter. The Hawks, playing without leading scoring Joe Johnson, leaned on their reserves, including veterans Tracy McGrady and Jerry Stackhouse, in the final period.

The Bucks, led by Brandon Jennings’ 34 points, were ahead by 15 in the third quarter. Atlanta pulled ahead with a 15-3 run to open the final period.

SPURS 102, BOBCATS 72

SAN ANTONIO — Tony Parker scored 15 points, and San Antonio overwhelmed Charlotte in the second half for a victory.

The Spurs (25-11) bounced back from a rare home loss earlier this week against Chicago to win for the 13th time in their last 15 games. The Bobcats (4-30), who were playing San Antonio for the only time this season, have lost four straight and 20 of their last 21.

Richard Jefferson scored 14 points and hit four 3-pointers, and Tim Duncan had 14 points and eight rebounds for the Spurs. Matt Bonner added 14 points, and Kawhi Leonard had 10.

Corey Maggette and Boris Diaw each scored 14 points for the Bobcats, who were held below 100 points for the 21st straight game.

GRIZZLIES 102, RAPTORS 99

TORONTO — Rudy Gay had 23 points and 12 rebounds, Mike Conley and Marc Gasol each scored 21, and Memphis beat Toronto, its sixth straight victory over the Raptors.

O.J. Mayo scored 16 points and Dante Cunningham added 11 as the Grizzlies won for the seventh time in eight games.