Miami wins Florida battle
James switches masks for game
LeBron James’ switch to a clear mask didn’t hinder his shooting eye, and he had 20 points Saturday to help the Miami Heat earn their seventh consecutive victory by beating the visiting Orlando Magic, 112-98.
At the NBA’s request, James dispensed with the black mask he wore Thursday when playing for the first time since he broke his nose. He missed only four shots, grabbed nine rebounds and had seven assists.
“It’s not a league rule, but it’s the league’s request that you don’t wear the black one,” James said. “The reasons they told me didn’t make sense to me, but I’m just a player. I will abide by the request.”
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke Friday with Nick Arison, son of the team owner, about the matter. James said he didn’t want to make a big issue of it. “I’m good with the NBA,” James said with a smile. “I am not against the NBA. I had a request, and I fulfilled it.”
Teammate Dwyane Wade said he warned James the league would give the black mask a thumbs-down.
“I told him after Thursday’s game, ‘ You have fun, because it ain’t happening the next game,’” Wade said. “It was fun. A lot of attention, a lot of T-shirts are going to be made, a lot of Instagram posts. Now we move on to something else.”
Wade scored 24 points and Chris Bosh 20 for the Heat, who shot 58 percent. Eleven players scored for the Heat, and their bench totaled 39 points.
Other games
Wizards 122, 76ers 103: Trevor Ariza made eight 3-pointers and scored a career-high 40 points to help visiting Washington win its sixth game in a row by beating Philadelphia. Ariza made all six 3-point attempts in the first quarter.
Rockets 118, Pistons 110: Terrence Jones had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and host Houston beat Detroit for its third win in four games. James Harden added 20 points and 12 assists.
Pacers 102, Celtics 97: Paul George scored 25 points and had 8 rebounds and Evan Turner added 17 off the bench to lead visiting Indiana past Boston.
Nets 107, Bucks 98: Reserve center Andray Blatche came up big with 19 points and 13 rebounds to lead visiting Brooklyn past Milwaukee. Marcus Thornton also came off the bench to score 25 points.
Grizzlies 110, Cavaliers 96: Zach Randolf scored 23 points with 14 rebounds and Mike Conley and Marc Gasol both added 22 to lead Memphis past visiting Cleveland.
Notes
Allen Iverson, emotional as he thanked former teammates and friends, had his No. 3 retired at halftime of Saturday’s game against Washington. High above the Wells Fargo Center court, Iverson’s banner fit between Maurice Cheeks’ No. 10 and Charles Barkley’s No. 34. “They all wanted me to talk about how much y’all loved me,” Iverson said, “but trust me, the feeling was mutual.” … Oklahoma City signed Caron Butler. Butler agreed to a contract buyout from Milwaukee on Thursday.