Heat scorch Suns with late burst

MIAMI: Miami’s stunning fourthquarter run of 17 unanswered points rescued them from the jaws of defeat in a 99-95 comeback victory over Phoenix on Tuesday.

Phoenix led 90-80 with seven and half minutes left but the Heat staged a remarkable rally to turn the game on its head and give Miami their 14th straight win at American Airlines Arena.

The Suns failed to score a point for more than six minutes and the Heat took full advantage, making nine free throws during the run and grabbing a 97-90 lead once the smoke had cleared.

Chris Bosh scored a game-high 29 points, while Lebron James added 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists to help Miami (34-11) pull within 2.5 games of conference-leading Chicago.

Phoenix (23-23), who had ridden a four-game winning streak into playoff contention, got a team-high 19 points from Grant Hill.

Hill and James collided while chasing the ball in the final seconds of the game and Miami’s two-time MVP remained on the floor for a couple of minutes before returning to his feet.

The Heat played without starter Joel Anthony, who missed the game with a sprained ankle and was replaced by Dexter Pittman.

The Suns’ Marcin Gortat scored 13 points and Steve Nash had nine and 10 assists.

In New York, Amare Stoudemire had 22 points and 12 rebounds while Jeremy Lin added 18 points and 10 assists as New York Knicks made it four straight easy victories since Mike Woodson replaced Mike D’antoni as coach. Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler each scored 17 points for the Knicks. — AP