NBA

76ers blow 17-point lead to Heat, fall to 0-14

Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade celebrates after scoring during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015, in Miami.
Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade celebrates after scoring during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015, in Miami.

MIAMI -- For much of the night, Philadelphia was in control. The 76ers had their biggest lead of the season at one point, and still led by 11 midway through the fourth quarter.

And then ...

"A very, very cruel loss," 76ers Coach Brett Brown said.

Even for a franchise that's known nothing but misery of late, this one stung more than most.

Philadelphia is still winless this season, after Dwyane Wade scored 27 points, Justise Winslow came up with a huge tip-in with 27 seconds left and Miami held the 76ers without a field goal for a critical 7-minute stretch of the fourth quarter on the way to a 96-91 victory Saturday night.

The 76ers are now 0-14 this season, with a losing streak of 24 games when factoring in the end of last season.

"We were in a position to get our first win and we just couldn't get into anything at the end of the game," Brown said. "I give credit to a veteran Miami team. Defensively they were fantastic and we just had a hard time finding a shot. We were in a late clock a lot in the last 5 minutes and it's a part of cruel path that we are going to evidently have to take."

Oh, they've been on that path for a while. But this step was particularly painful.

Hassan Whiteside finished with 13 points, 9 rebounds and 8 blocked shots for the Heat, who were down 17 at one point and still trailed 87-76 after a dunk by Nerlens Noel with 7:10 remaining. Miami outscored Philadelphia 19-2 to escape, and the 76ers -- who started 0-17 last season -- are now the owners of the ninth-worst start in NBA history as well.

"They're an NBA team," Wade said. "They've got guys who can play basketball, so you take nothing from them. But they're not a better team than us, and not on your home floor."

Isaiah Canaan scored 22 for Philadelphia, and Robert Covington finished with 21. Jahlil Okafor scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Noel finished with 10 points.

"When you're up 10, 15 and you feel like you're in control the whole game, it hurts a little more," Noel said.

The Heat led for 4 minutes, 42 seconds in the first quarter and then spent the rest of the night playing uphill -- that is, until 2:40 remained, when Wade set up Bosh for a game-tying 3-pointer from the top of the key, knotting the score at 89.

Gerald Green's free throws with 1:25 left put Miami up 91-89, the first Heat lead since it was 14-11 in the early going.

In other NBA games on Saturday night, Kawhi Leonard scored 19 points, Tony Parker had 18 and the host San Antonio Spurs snapped the Memphis Grizzlies' four-game winning streak with a 92-82 victory. Manu Ginobili added 15 points for San Antonio, which is unbeaten in six home games. Tim Duncan had 10 points, including a pair of running floaters in the lane in the final 90 seconds to seal the victory, as well as 10 rebounds. ... Kristaps Porzingis had 24 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocked shots to lead the New York Knicks over the slumping Houston Rockets 107-102. The Knicks (8-6) won their fourth in a row overall. They also snapped an 11-game losing streak against the Rockets and a 10-game skid when playing in Houston. ... Kevin Love scored a season-high 25 points, LeBron James added 19 and the host Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Atlanta Hawks 109-97. The Cavaliers took control after trailing 17-16 midway through the first quarter. Cleveland quickly built a 10-point lead, stretched the margin to 57-40 late in the first half and the Hawks never recovered. Hawks Coach Mike Budenholzer was ejected in the second quarter after making contact with an official. Budenholzer was given a technical for arguing a call, bumped referee Ben Taylor after stepping on the floor and was quickly tossed. ... Nene scored 18 points and Otto Porter added 17 as the visiting Washington Wizards beat the Detroit Pistons. The Wizards had the ball and a two-point lead with 9.2 seconds left, but Porter was called for a five-second violation on the inbound attempt. That gave Detroit a last chance, but Marcus Morris missed a three-pointer at the buzzer. Marcin Gortat finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Ramon Sessions had 14 points and nine assists off the bench. Washington's reserves outscored Detroit's 51-15. ... DeMarcus Cousins had 29 points and 12 rebounds as the visiting Sacramento Kings held off the Orlando Magic 97-91. Rajon Rondo added 13 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds for the Kings, who had lost two in a row. Marco Belinelli chipped in 13 points off the bench. ... C.J. Miles scored a season-high 21 points to lead the host Indiana Pacers over the Milwaukee Bucks 123-86. Paul George had 20 points and seven rebounds, and Jordan Hill added a season-high 20 points off the bench for the Pacers (8-5), who have won five of six.

Sports on 11/22/2015

Upcoming Events