The Miami Heat mauled the Charlotte Bobcats in a 129-90 blowout on Sunday to improve to a franchise-best 5-0 start to the season.
Needing a pair of Dwyane Wade last-second game-winners to defeat Charlotte and Minnesota in back-to-back games last week, the Heat buried the Bobcats early in the rematch.
“We came into the game with a very heightened sense of having the ability to concentrate,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters. “It speaks to our guys’ professionalism.”
Photo: Reuters
Talent-loaded Miami built a 28-point lead by halftime to effectively kill the game as a contest in front of their home crowd.
Chris Bosh led the way with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Wade added 22 as Miami continued their impressive start to the season.
Beaten by the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals last June, the Heat have exploded from the blocks at the start of a compressed 66-game campaign.
Their 129 points were an NBA-high for the fledgling season, sharing the wealth among their big-name players and compiling 33 assists for the game.
LeBron James, who entered the contest averaging 33 points per game, played just 28 minutes and chipped in 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
D.J. White had a team-high 21 points for the Bobcats (1-3), who suffered their third straight loss and their second to the Heat in four days.
Charlotte were powerless as the Heat scored the first six points of the game and breezed to an early 17-4 advantage in the first period.
It only went downhill from there for the Bobcats, who shot just 38 percent from the field.
“That was a high-school team in a professional game,” said Charlotte forward Corey Maggette, who finished with two points and missed all six of his shots from the field.
Bosh controlled the early going in the paint, scoring 20 first-half points, although plenty of Miami players got in on the action.
Rookie point guard Norris Cole finished with 16 points and nine assists, while the team shot 60 percent from the floor in a dominating display that sent a message to the whole league.
MAGIC 102, RAPTORS 96
In Orlando, Florida, Ryan Anderson scored 24 points and led a fourth-quarter rally as the Orlando Magic beat Toronto.
The Magic trailed by as many as 16 points, but went on a 16-0 run in the final period. Orlando shot four-for-five on three-pointers during the burst, with Anderson making two of them, as the Magic took a 94-88 lead with 3 minutes, 5 seconds left.
Dwight Howard had 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Magic, who have won four straight since a season-opening loss to Oklahoma City. J.J. Redick added 21 points, while Hedo Turkoglu had 15 points and seven assists.
Andrea Bargnani paced the Raptors with 28 points, while Jose Calderon had 18 points and 13 assists.
CELTICS 94, WIZARDS 86
In Washington, Rajon Rondo had 18 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds, while Kevin Garnett had 24 points and nine rebounds to lead Boston over the winless Wizards.
The victory was the Celtics’ second straight after losing their first three. Washington are 0-4.
John Wall, who was 10-for-37 from the field in Washington’s first three games, was six-for-13. He had 19 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
JaVale McGee had 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Wizards. Nick Young had 18.
CAVALIERS 98, NETS 82
In Cleveland, Ohio, Antawn Jamison scored 23 points and the Cavaliers made 16 three-pointers in a win over New Jersey.
Kyrie Irving, the No. 1 pick in the draft, had 13 points, four assists and four rebounds for Cleveland (2-2).
Deron Williams led New Jersey (1-4) with 16 points. The Nets dropped their fourth straight game, despite having all five starters score in double figures.
Cleveland made 16-of-26 from three-point range, falling one short of the team record for threes in a game. The Cavaliers made 17 three-pointers in the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
TIMBERWOLVES 99, MAVERICKS 82
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, Kevin Love had 25 points and 17 rebounds, and he hit two important three-pointers in the fourth quarter to help the Timberwolves end an 18-game losing streak going back deep into last season.
The young Wolves closed the game with a 15-0 run. They lost the last 15 games of last season and the first three of this year, meaning it has been 295 days since the franchise’s last victory.
Ricky Rubio added 14 points and seven assists, while Luke Ridnour scored 11 for the Timberwolves (1-3), who were winners for the first time under new coach Rick Adelman.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 points, but the defending champions have looked slow and sloppy while starting the season 1-4.
The Mavericks turned the ball over 17 times, while Jason Terry, Jason Kidd and Lamar Odom combined to shoot seven-for-23.
BULLS 104, GRIZZLIES 64
In Chicago, Carlos Boozer scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Bulls easily won their home opener.
Derrick Rose finished with 16 points after a slow start. Ronnie Brewer scored 17, with Richard Hamilton a late scratch because of a groin injury, but with Boozer dominating, the Bulls simply put this one away early.
Rudy Gay had just five points for Memphis. Zach Randolph bruised his right knee and scored only two points in 11 minutes. Josh Davis and Sam Young were the only Grizzlies to score in double figures, with 10 points apiece.
Sunday’s other results:
‧ Nuggets 99, Lakers 90
‧ Kings 96, Hornets 80
‧ Clipper 93, Trailblazers 88
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James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
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