OKLAHOMA CITY — LeBron James had 39 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists, and the Miami Heat trampled the Oklahoma City Thunder 110-100 in a Thursday night showcase before the All-Star break.
Chris Bosh chipped in 20 points and 12 rebounds as the Heat won their sixth consecutive against the Thunder dating to last year’s NBA Finals. Miami swept the season series after winning on its home court on Christmas Day, following up after taking the last four games of the Finals.
James was in position to continue his run of games with at least 30 points and 60 percent shooting to seven, but missed from a couple steps beyond the three-point line as the shot clock ran down with just over a minute left.
That dropped him to 14 for 24 in the game, or 58 percent. James had said before the game that he didn’t care if the streak continued, as long as Miami kept winning.
“I’m not conscious about it. I’m just playing,” James said at shoot around. “I’m just going out and playing my game. I’m not conscious about the shots that I take. The shots that I take are good shots. ... If a guy is off of me, I shoot. If he’s on me, I drive. If one of my teammates is open, I pass the ball. It’s simple.”
Kevin Durant had 40 points and eight rebounds, but missed his first seven shots as Oklahoma City trailed by as many as 23 points in the third quarter.
Russell Westbrook had 26 points and 10 assists.
Miami led 79-56 when James put back a missed jumper by Bosh with 5:07 left in the third quarter. That matched the largest deficit of the season for the Thunder, who also were down 23 in a home loss against Brooklyn last month.
Durant had a driving two handed dunk and a runner as Oklahoma City got the deficit down to 108-100 in the final minute, but was never really in striking distance.
Oklahoma City fell to 23-4 at home and suffered back-to back losses for only the second time all season - with the Heat responsible for the second loss on both occasions. The defeat also dropped the Thunder (39-14) to even in the loss column with Miami (36-14) as the two jockey for home-court advantage if there’s a Finals rematch.
San Antonio has the best record in the league (42-12), and is the only team ahead of Miami and Oklahoma City.
The Thunder had won four consecutive games by at least 20 points before getting thumped at Utah on Tuesday night, and couldn’t keep up as Miami won its seventh consecutive game for the first time this season.
Miami, playing without injured starting forward Udonis Haslem (leg) and then losing two starters to foul trouble in the first six minutes, scored 11 consecutive points midway through the first quarter and went up 28-13 when Ray Allen made the free throw after Durant drew his 11th technical foul of the season.
Miami maintained its lead while James sat out the first 4 1/2 minutes of the second quarter, in the middle of a stretch when Oklahoma City made two field goals over a 12-minute span. The Thunder stuck around at the foul line, going 21 for 22 on free throws in the first half - with all but two of the attempts coming from Durant and Westbrook.
Sports, Pages 25 on 02/15/2013