Heat melt Mavericks; Lakers prevail anew
MIAMI—Hassan Whiteside had 25 points and 19 rebounds, Gerald Green added 19 points off the bench and the Miami Heat rolled past the Dallas Mavericks, 106-82, on Friday night to snap a two-game slide.
Chris Bosh scored 16 and Goran Dragic had 15 points and seven assists for the Heat. Miami adjusted its starting lineup shortly before tipoff when Dwyane Wade was stricken by flulike symptoms. Wade got some intravenous fluids and checked in early in the second quarter, just his 10th time playing off the bench in his 13-year career. He finished with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
Whiteside made 12 of 16 shots, and the Heat enjoyed their biggest victory margin of the season.
Dallas had 10 points in the first quarter—its low for any period this season—and shot just 36 percent for the game, compared to 56 percent for Miami.
Zaza Pachulia led the Mavericks with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Dallas’ four-game winning streak was snapped.
In Los Angeles, Lou Williams scored 12 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter against his former team and Jordan Clarkson added 19, leading Los Angeles over Philadelphia, 93-84.
Rookie forward Larry Nance Jr. had a season-high 14 rebounds and eight points for the Lakers on his 23rd birthday while playing on a tender right ankle.
Julius Randle scored 15 off the bench for Los Angeles in a matchup between teams with the NBA’s two worst records. Kobe Bryant didn’t play for the Lakers (7-27) against his hometown team because of a sore right shoulder.
Nerlens Noel had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Sixers (3-32), who tied an NBA record with their 0-18 start before beating the Lakers on Dec. 1 at Philadelphia.
In Chicago, Jimmy Butler scored 23 points, and Nikola Mirotic had 17 points and seven assists to help Chicago beat New York, 108-81.
Pau Gasol added 17 points and eight re- bounds as the Bulls won for the fourth time in five games while avenging a blowout loss at New York on Dec. 19. Rookie reserve Bobby Portis had 16 points and 10 rebounds in his third consecutive game scoring in double figures.
The Bulls blew a 17-point lead before pulling away from the Knicks in the fourth quarter.
Chicago played without Derrick Rose, who missed his second straight game due to right hamstring tendinitis.
In Toronto, DeMar DeRozan had 23 points and Kyle Lowry added 18 points and 11 assists as Toronto rallied to beat Charlotte, 104-94.
In Washington, John Wall scored 24 points with 13 assists as Washington extended its dominance of Orlando with a 103-91 triumph.