LeBron scores 31 and Heat roll past Kings, 117-97
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LeBron James scored 31 points and Dwyane Wade added 23 as the host Miami Heat opened their post-All-Star schedule with an easy 117-97 win over the Sacramento Kings yesterday.
Chris Bosh had a 22-point, nine-rebound night and Mario Chalmers added 14 points for Miami, which won for the 11th time in its last 12 games. The Heat made seven straight shots on the way to shooting 64 percent in the opening quarter, setting the stage for a rout.
Samuel Dalembert had 18 points and 13 rebounds off the bench for the Kings, who are 1-8 in February.
Thunder 111, Clippers 88
At Oklahoma City, Jeff Green scored 22 points and Kevin Durant added 21 as Oklahoma spoiled Blake Griffin's return to his hometown by beating Los Angeles.
Griffin made a run at his first career triple-double but came up two assists shy. He followed his slam dunk title and rare All-Star appearance by a rookie by amassing 28 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, but the Clippers sorely missed him when he was out of the game.
Bobcats 114, Raptors 101
At Charlotte, North Carolina, D.J. Augustin had 23 points and eight assists as Charlotte cruised past listless Toronto despite losing top scorer Stephen Jackson to a strained left hamstring.
Gerald Wallace added 20 points and Boris Diaw had 16 points and nine assists for the Bobcats, who took control with a dominant second quarter before Jackson got hurt midway through the third.
Jackson, who scored 13 points, collided with Toronto's Amir Johnson after a driving layup and later limped to the locker room while clutching his left leg. He returned to the bench a few minutes later, but didn't play again.
Sonny Weems scored 19 points and Andrea Bargnani added 18 points and eight rebounds for the Raptors, who lost their 11th straight road game to tie a franchise record.
Pacers 113, Wizards 96
At Washington, Danny Granger had 21 points and 10 rebounds as Indiana piled on the fast-break points to open the season's homestretch with a rout of Washington.
Tyler Hansbrough added 17 points in 21 minutes as the Pacers broke a two-game losing streak and improved to 8-3 under interim coach Frank Vogel.
The Pacers scored all 26 of their fast-break points by the third quarter and would have broken their season high of 28 if they hadn't started taking their time because they were so far ahead.
Rockets 108, Pistons 100
At Auburn Hills, Michigan, rookie forward Patrick Patterson scored a career-high 20 points, including seven in a row late in the fourth quarter as Houston pulled away from Detroit.
After both teams had blown double-digit leads, Patterson's tip-in gave the Rockets a 95-94 advantage. He added a three-point play and a pair of free throws to make it a six-point game with 2:35 to play.
Aaron Brooks finished the run with two free throws. Kevin Martin scored 16 points for Houston.
Will Bynum led Detroit with 21 points and Rodney Stuckey added 19, but Tayshaun Prince missed all nine of his field goal attempts and scored only one point.
Bucks 94, Timberwolves 88
At Milwaukee, Brandon Jennings scored 27 points and made five free throws down the stretch to lead Milwaukee over Minnesota.
Michael Beasley scored 21 points and All-Star Kevin Love had 20, but it wasn't enough as Minnesota lost for the sixth time in its last seven games in Milwaukee.
Corey Maggette finished with 20 points and got the Bucks started in the fourth quarter when he scored the first six points to break a 76-all tie.
