Heat scorch Cavaliers
NBA-leading Rockets romp over Bulls
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors, vying to set up a fourth straight NBA Finals clash, continued to limp toward the postseason on Tuesday.
The Miami Heat bolstered their playoff hopes with a 98-79 victory over LeBron James and the Cavs while the playoff-bound Indiana Pacers downed the injury-depleted Warriors 92-81.
Kelly Olynyk scored 19 points and Josh Richardson and James Johnson added 15 apiece for the Heat, who need two more wins in their last seven regular-season games to clinch a playoff berth.
Dwyane Wade blocked a pair of shots by old friend and former teammate James as part of a dominant defensive performance from the home team.
Wade finished with 12 points against a Cavs team that traded him back to Miami in February.
James, who won two NBA titles with the Heat before returning to lead Cleveland to the 2016 crown, led the Cavs with 18 points.
But Cleveland’s 79 points were a season low and they endured their 14th straight defeat at Miami’s American Airlines Arena.
The Cavs saw forward Kevin Love depart less than two minutes into the game after he took an elbow to the face that loosened a tooth. He returned in the first half but sat out the second with concussion-like symptoms.
In Oakland, the reigning champions Warriors again felt the absence of All-Stars Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
The Pacers outscored the Warriors 24-11 in the fourth quarter, handing them their sixth defeat in their last nine games.
Despite their multitude of injury woes, it looked as if the Warriors might avoid a second straight defeat. They led by as many as 15 points in the first half, and were clinging to a twopoint lead going into the fourth quarter. But the Pacers opened the fourth on a 9-2 scoring run to take control.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, the league-leading Houston Rockets continued their strong run to the playoffs with a 118-86 rout of the Chicago Bulls.
With MVP candidate James Harden taking the night off, Eric Gordon scored 31 points and matched a career high with eight three-pointers for the Rockets, who notched their 10th straight win.
Trevor Ariza scored 21 points and Chris Paul returned from a three-game injury absence to add 13 points and 10 assists for the Rockets.