Newly minted NBA star Jeremy Lin proved no match for Miami's “Big Three” Thursday as the Heat handed Lin and his New York Knicks a 102-88 defeat as the league heads into the All-Star break. Miami's swarming defense saw Lin deliver his worst numbers since his breakout run began, scoring eight points on 1-of-11 shooting with three assists and eight turnovers. Meanwhile, Chris Bosh scored 25 points, Dwyane Wade scored 22 and LeBron James added 20 for the Heat, who won their eighth straight game and will take a league-leading 27-7 record into the All-Star weekend that starts Friday. “The speed and the athleticism ... credit to them,” Lin said. “Hopefully when we play them next time, it can be a different story.” Hawks 83, Magic 78: In Atlanta, Josh Smith scored 22 points and pulled down 12 rebounds to help Atlanta snap a three-game skid with an win over Orlando. Jannero Pargo added 15 points for the Hawks, who led by only a point with 4:42 left but finished the stronger. J.J. Redick finished with 13 points for the Magic, who had won six of seven going in. Spurs 114, Nuggets 99: In Denver, DeJuan Blair tied a career high with 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, helping San Antonio beat Denver to wrap up a nine-game road swing. Buoyed by a 19-1 run midway through the first quarter, the Spurs jumped out to a big lead and then held on at the end. They've won 12 of their past 13 heading into the All-Star break and lead the Southwest Division by three games over defending champion Dallas. All five starters for the Spurs scored in double figures. Tony Parker had 16 points and 12 assists. Corey Brewer scored 23 points for the Nuggets. Thunder 100, Lakers 85: Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant scored 33 points to lead the Thunder to a comfortable win over the Los Angeles Lakers and a share of the NBA lead heading into the All-Star break. Russell Westbrook added 19 for the Thunder, who won their 12th straight home game and denied Los Angeles the chance to head into the midseason break with back-to-back statement wins on the road. The Lakers had won at defending NBA champion Dallas a night earlier and were trying to follow it by knocking off the other half of last year's West finals. Kobe Bryant scored 24 points but went 7 for 24 from the field.
