Warriors take the Heat, Embiid leads 76ers

KEVIN Durant scored a gamehigh 39 points as the NBA champion Golden State Warriors rallied from an early 19-point deficit to edge the Miami Heat 120-118 on Sunday.

DeMarcus Cousins sank two free throws with 5.4 seconds left to play to help the Warriors hold off the Heat, who fell eight behind in the fourth quarter but took a 118-115 lead with 51.5 seconds left after back-to-back steals and baskets from Josh Richardson and Dwyane Wade.

Durant ( pi c t ure d, AFP) responded with his first threepointer of the contest – after six misses from beyond the arc – to tie the game and Cousins made his free throws to seal the Warriors’ 15th win in their last 16 games.

“They came out and hit us in the mouth early, but I like how we withstood the storm and kept fighting,” Durant said.

Durant said there was no mystery to the Warriors’ comeback, fueled by a 12-0 scoring run early in the third quarter.

“We were just locked in, playing our brand,” he said. “It took us a while to wake up on Sunday.”

Klay Thompson scored 29 points for the Warriors and Stephen Curry, after a rocky first quarter with just three points, finished with 25.

Josh Richardson led the Heat with 37 points. Veteran Dwyane Wade added 10 off f the bench, two days after a frightening ghtening fall in Sacramento.

Joel Embiid scored ored 37 points and grabbed ed 14 rebounds to power r the Philadelphia 76ers over the visiting Los Angeeles Lakers 143-120 in a matchup of high-profile NBA clubs.

The 24-year-old Ca mero o n 7 - f o o t e r (2.13m) was supported orted by 22 points from Tobias obias

Harris and 21 more from JJ Redick in a romp over LeBron James and d the Lakers, who f ell l l to

28-28. At 36-20, the 76ers pulled within 5.5 games of Eastern C o n f e r e n c e leader Milwaukee as Embiid pondered the team’s title hopes. “We’ve got a chance, especially this year,” he said. “I plan on being here for a long time. This is my city.” A trade with the Los Angeles Clippers added Harris to the lineup li and Embiid likes the move mo even though new players must adjust to the 76ers in mid-season.

“I think we got better,” Embiid said. “These new guys, we’ve got to teach them the new system, but I think w we’re going to be great.” Jame James had 18 points, 10 reboun rebounds and nine assists in a losing c cause.

In Da Dallas, Slovenian 19-yearold sw swingman Luka Doncic scored 28 points, including what p proved to be the gamewinnin winning 3-point play, as the Dallas Mavericks M edged visiting Portlan Portland 102-101.