Heat end Celtics’ win streak at 16

Dion Waiters watched his three-point try bounce off the rim, ricochet off the top of the backboard, then hit the rim again and somehow drop through the net.

That’s what it took to end Boston’s 16-game winning streak.

Goran Dragic scored 27 points, Waiters had 26 with two big three-pointers in the final minutes and the Heat held on to defeat Boston 104-98 in Miami on Wednesday night, becoming the first team to beat the Celtics since Oct. 18.

“You can tell they were locked into this game,” Celtics guard Kyrie Irving said. “They wanted it and proved it.”

Boston trailed by as many as 18, and was down by 14 midway through the fourth quarter. A 13-0 run got Boston to 91-90 with 3:14 left, and that’s when Waiters took over.

Cavaliers 119, Nets 109: LeBron James shook off a blow to the face and scored 23 points in the fourth quarter — including 18 straight for the host Cavaliers — as Cleveland won its sixth straight. James totaled 33 points. Rondae HollisJefferson scored 20 for Brooklyn.

76ers 101, Trail Blazers 81: Joel Embiid had 28 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks and fast-starting Philadelphia handled another Western Conference opponent with relative ease. Visiting Portland missed its first 13 shots before Shabazz Napier came off the bench and hit a jumper with 5:01 left in the first quarter.

Hornets 129, Wizards 124: Dwight Howard had 26 points and 13 rebounds, including a block at the end of regulation and a crucial offensive rebound in overtime, in host Charlotte’s victory. John Wall had 31 points and 11 assists, and Bradley Beal had 22 points for Washington.

Clippers 116, Hawks 103: Blake Griffin had 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, Wesley Johnson scored a seasonhigh 24 points and Los Angeles snapped a nine-game skid. Atlanta lost its third straight.

Knicks 108, Raptors 100: Tim Hardaway Jr. scored a careerhigh 38 points, including 12 during a 28-0 run in the third quarter that sent host New York to victory. Kristaps Porzingis added 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks. Kyle Lowry scored 25 points and DeMar DeRozan had 18 for the Raptors.

Mavericks 95, Grizzlies 94: Harrison Barnes banked in a 30-footer at the buzzer to give visiting Dallas its fourth victory of the season. Barnes led the Mavericks with 22 points, nine of them coming in the fourth quarter to help Dallas thwart a late Memphis comeback.

Rockets 125, Nuggets 95: Trevor Ariza had a season-high 25 points in host Houston’s victory. Ariza was 7-of-10 from three-point range. Will Barton led Denver with 20 points. Nikola Jokic had 17, and Gary Harris added 13.

T’wolves 124, Magic 118: Jimmy Butler tied a season high with 26 points, Taj Gibson scored a season-high 24, and host Minnesota held off Orlando. Aaron Gordon scored 26 points and added nine rebounds for the Magic.

Pelicans 107, Spurs 90: Anthony Davis had 29 points and 11 rebounds, Demarcus Cousins added 24 points and 15 rebounds, and host New Orleans beat San Antonio. Jrue Holiday scored 13 points and Darius Miller chipped in 13 on four three-pointers for the Pelicans. Pau Gasol had 17 points and LaMarcus Aldridge 16 for the Spurs.

Jazz 110, Bulls 80: Derrick Favors scored 23 points and reserve Rodney Hood added 19 for host Utah. Robin Lopez scored 15 points and Bobby Portis added 14 points and eight rebounds off the bench for Chicago.

Bucks 113, Suns 107: Khris Middleton scored 40 points and Eric Bledsoe added 30 in his return to Phoenix, leading shorthanded Milwaukee to an overtime victory. The Bucks played without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was listed as having right knee soreness.

Kings 113, Lakers 102: Zach Randolph had 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, Willie Cauley-Stein added 26 points and Sacramento beat visiting Los Angeles. Buddy Hield added 10 points for Sacramento, including a pair of three-pointers during a 15-5 run to open the fourth quarter.

Injury report: Clippers guard Patrick Beverley is expected to miss the rest of the season after having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee . ... The Nuggets say they’re exploring options to repair All-Star Paul Millsap’s torn ligament in his left wrist amid concerns he’ll need surgery that will sideline him until late February.