CLEVELAND, Ohio — Defending champion Miami's epic win streak, the second-longest in league history, rose to 24 games Wednesday but survived a scare from NBA weakling Cleveland in a homecoming for LeBron James. Down by 27 points in the third quarter, the Heat rallied to defeat Cleveland 98-95 thanks to a stunning effort from James, who scored 25 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, made 10 assists and hit two key-free throws with 4.7 seconds to play. “We had to dig deep for this one,” James said. “We know every team is going to give us a good shot. We know they are going to be trying to take us down. We should enjoy that. We should embrace that. We have to be ready for that.” The game was the first for James at the home of his former club since he won an NBA title with the Miami team he joined after spurning the Cavaliers — a true homecoming since he grew up and was a high school star in nearby Akron. “This is a gut performance for our team,” James said. The start of the game was delayed for 45 minutes by a coolant leak on the main scoreboard, adding to the intense atmosphere surrounding the return of a hero now reviled by those same fans who once treasured his every move. When play began, it appeared the Heat failed to notice. Cleveland jumped ahead 55-34 at half-time and began pulling away to start the second half. The Heat made a 20-6 run to end the third quarter and a 15-2 spurt to start to fourth to pull even, then outplayed Cleveland down the stretch to improve the best record in the NBA to 53-14, while the Cavaliers fell to 22-46. Cleveland scored seven points in a row to pull within 96-95 on Tristan Thompson's two free throws with 44 seconds remaining. After James missed a jumper, Cleveland's Wayne Ellington missed a three-pointer and the ball went out of bounds. A call that went to video review gave Miami the ball and James was fouled by Alonzo Gee after taking the inbounds pass. James made both free throws to produce the final margin, but the Cavaliers had one final chance to equalize. C.J. Miles launched a three-point try, but it bounced high off the rim and the spectacular upset bid had been foiled. Mario Chalmers added 17 points for Miami, which also had 11 points each from Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Shane Battier, and 10 from Ray Allen. Ellington led the Cavaliers with 20 points, while Thompson scored 18 and Tyler Zeller added 12 points and 11 rebounds for Cleveland. Rockets 100, Jazz 93: For the first time during their crucial seven-game homestand, the Houston Rockets opened a contest with energy, and they rode an early burst to a 100-93 win over the Utah Jazz. The victory enabled the Rockets (37-31) to extend their lead over the Jazz (34-34) to three games in the race for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Knicks 106, Magic 94: J.R. Smith had 22 points and Carmelo Anthony returned from his knee injury with 21 for the New York Knicks in a 106-94 win over the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden. Hawks 98, Bucks 90: Al Horford had 26 points and 15 rebounds, and Jeff Teague added 27 points and 11 assists to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 98-90 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. In other games it was: Bobcats 107, Raptors 101; Nets 113, Mavericks 96; New Orleans 87, Boston 86; Memphis 90, Oklahoma City 89; San Antonio 104, Golden State 93; Washington 88, Phoenix 79; LA Clippers 101, Philadelphia 88. — Agencies
