Wade-less Heat thrash Pacers; Bulls rip Pistons
Miami — Miami’s LeBron James had 33 points and 13 assists as the Heat made light of the absence of Dwayne Wade by crushing the Indiana Pacers 118-83 in the NBA today.
Chris Bosh added 22 points as the Heat turned up the defensive intensity without their star guard. Wade sat out with a sore left foot, and his status for Thursday’s game at Atlanta is uncertain.
Wade, a six-time All-Star, injured his foot in the second quarter at Charlotte on Dec. 28. He missed the first 10 minutes of the third period but played regular minutes the rest of the game and in the two that followed.
Roy Hibbert had 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead Indiana.
Bulls 99,
Pistons 83
In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Richard Hamilton scored 14 points in his return to The Palace as Chicago shut down Detroit.
Hamilton started after missing the previous two games with a sore groin. He received a warm welcome from Detroit fans, appreciative of the nine years he gave the Pistons before being waived prior to this season.
Derrick Rose had 17 points and 10 assists for the Bulls, who had five players in double figures as they won their 12th in a row over Detroit.
Greg Monroe had 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Pistons, while guard Rodney Stuckey sat out the second half with a groin strain.
Bobcats 118, Knicks 110
In New York, Boris Diaw rebounded from a dreadful game a night earlier with a season-high 27 points as Charlotte snapped a four-game losing skid with victory over New York.
Gerald Henderson added 24 for the Bobcats, who capped a three-game road trip by winning for the first time since their season opener.
The return from injury of Amare Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert put the Knicks’ offense back on track but they simply couldn’t guard Charlotte.
Stoudemire had 25 points and 12 rebounds after missing two games with a sprained ankle. Shumpert scored 18 off the bench.
Mavericks 98, Suns 89
In Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki scored 20 points in his 1,000th NBA game to lead Dallas over Phoenix.
Jason Terry had 18 points, including nine in the fourth quarter, to help the defending NBA champions string together consecutive wins for the first time this season.
Steve Nash had 15 points and 12 assists for the Suns.
Clippers 117, Rockets 89
In Los Angeles, Blake Griffin had 22 points and nine assists before sitting out most of the fourth quarter as Los Angeles cruised to an easy win over Houston.
Chris Paul added 20 points and 10 assists plus three steals for the Clippers, extending his streak to 14 consecutive games with at least one. OTHER RESULTS: Spurs 101, Warriors 95; Celtics 89, Nets 70; Raptors 92, Cavaliers 77;Magic 103, Wizards S 85; 76ers 101, Hornets 93;Grizzlies 90, Timberwolves 86; Nuggets 110, Kings 83. /ap
