Heat head into the All-Star break following huge win in Oakland.
There were 13 games on the NBA schedule on Wednesday night, with LeBron James and the Miami Heat securing a thrilling win over the Golden State Warriors.
In what was one of the best games of the season thus far, James sank a step-back three-pointer with less than a second remaining to push the Heat past Golden State 111-110.
“I was going for the win the whole time,” James said after the game, as reported by ESPN.
With Dwyane Wade missing with a nerve irritation in his foot, it was left to James to lead the two-time champions as he finished with 36 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.
The Heat were able to open up a 21-point lead in the third quarter, with Chris Bosh adding 19 points and five rebounds while Michael Beasley scored 16 to move Miami to 37-14 for the season.
Despite 29 points and seven assists from Stephen Curry and 21 points and 11 rebounds from David Lee, it wasn’t enough for the Warriors who slip to 31-22 after being silenced by the King.
“That was like the ultimate buzz kill,” Curry told teammates in the Warriors’ locker room. He could later be heard shouting “Wow!” from the showers.
Elsewhere, the Indiana Pacers slipped to only their third home defeat of the season as they were held to just 73 points in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
Monta Ellis had 23 points and nine rebounds while Dirk Nowitzki added 18 points as the Mavs improve to 32-22 having now won six of their last seven and seemingly on course to return to the playoffs this year.
It was a bitterly disappointing night for Frank Vogel’s men, who shot a season-worst 32.1 percent from the field, with George Hill scoring a team-high 14 points.
There were no such problems for the Los Angeles Clippers as they picked up the win against the Portland Trail Blazers, with Blake Griffin and Chris Paul starring.
Griffin scored 36 points as he continues to enjoy his most productive season of his league career so far, while point guard Chris Paul added 20 points and 12 assists as he steps up his contribution after returning from injury earlier this week.
There were 40 lead changes in a thrilling contest at the Staples Center, but the loss leaves Portland 5-8 since a five-game winning streak last month, with LeMarcus Aldridge (25 points) and Damian Lillard (21 points) unable to prevent another defeat.
In contrast the Clippers won for the 14th time in 19 games as they leapfrog the Trail Blazers into fourth spot in the Western Conference with Houston now third after James Harden inspired them to a win on Wednesday.
Another star of the night was San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan, who had 25 points to power his team to victory despite being decimated by injuries.
“More than anything, Tim led the way for us as he has for 16 or 17 years,” coach Gregg Popovich said about his team pulling away in the final quarter.
Marco Belinelli had 16 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for the Spurs, who were without Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Kawhi Leonard and Tiago Splitter.
As a result it was left to Duncan to step up and guide the team, while Boris Diaw added 18 points as San Antonio picked up their fifth win in seven games.
NBA Results:
Dallas Mavericks 81-73 Indiana Pacers
Memphis Grizzlies 86-81 Orlando Magic
Atlanta Hawks 83-104 Toronto Raptors
San Antonio Spurs 104-92 Boston Celtics
Charlotte Bobcats 89-105 Brooklyn Nets
Cleveland Cavaliers 92-89 Detroit Pistons
Sacramento Kings 106-101 New York Knicks
Washington Wizards 112-113 Houston Rockets
New Orleans Pelicans 102-98 Milwaukee Bucks
Denver Nuggets 90-117 Minnesota Timberwolves
Philadelphia 76ers 100-105 Utah Jazz
Miami Heat 111-110 Golden State Warriors
Portland Trail Blazers 117-122 Los Angeles Clippers
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