Philadelphia — Miami’s Dwyane Wade scored 26 points to lead the Heat to a 99-79 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, putting the hosts back in their place with a convincing victory in the clash between two NBA divisional leaders.
Coming off wins against Orlando and Chicago, the Sixers were aiming to complete a hat trick of home wins over the league’s big guns, but could not go the distance against Wade, LeBron James — 19 points and 12 rebounds — and company.
Wade made a pair of ferocious dunks during the game-changing 15-0 run in the fourth quarter that turned a tight game into a comfortable win that pushed the Sixers’ first sellout crowd of the season toward the exits.
Thaddeus Young scored 16 points for the Sixers, whose four-game winning streak was ended.
Lakers 93, Nuggets 89
In Denver, Andrew Bynum scored 22 points as Los Angeles opened a six-game road trip with a win at Denver.
Al Harrington could have put Denver ahead with two seconds remaining, but his 3-point attempt missed.
Kobe Bryant added 20 for the Lakers, who took control after Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov rolled an ankle early in the second half. He didn’t return but the Nuggets said X-rays were negative.
Two minutes after Mozgov left, Denver temporarily lost leading scorer Danilo Gallinari after he was poked in the eye. In that time, the Lakers put the finishing touches on a 10-2 run.
Harrington scored 24 points for Denver.
Pacers 98, Mavs 87
In Dallas, Paul George hit seven 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 30 points as Indiana won in Dallas for the first time in eight years.
The Pacers took the lead for good with seven consecutive points in the first 2 minutes of the second half. George made a go-ahead running layup then had a steal that he turned into a dunk and a free throw.
Indiana won its 10th road game this season, matching Miami for the most in the NBA. The Pacers had lost 11 of their previous 12 road games against the Mavericks.
Dirk Nowitzki scored a season-high 30 points for Dallas on 12-of-17 shooting.
Celtics 91,
Knicks 89
In Boston, Paul Pierce scored 30 points as Boston edged struggling New York.
Ray Allen had nine of his 14 in the final quarter to help the Celtics notch their seventh win in eight games.
Carmelo Anthony scored 26 points for the Knicks, who have lost 11 of 13.
Boston’s Kevin Garnett grabbed his 10,000th career defensive rebound, becoming the third player in NBA history to reach the mark after Robert Parish (10,117) and Karl Malone (11,406).
Thunder 101, Grizzlies 94
In Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant scored 36 points and hit the tiebreaking 3-pointer in the final minute to lift Oklahoma City over Memphis. OTHER RESULTS: Magic 102, Cavs 94 Rockets 99, Suns 81; Timberwolves 108, Nets 105;Pistons 88, Bucks 80;Raptors 106, Wizards 89. /AP