Heat overcome Knicks, 119-98

MIAMI-Kelly Olynyk scored 22 points and handed out a career-high 10 assists, Tyler Johnson added 22 points and the Miami Heat had little trouble on the way to beating the New York Knicks 119-98 on Wednesday

night.

Wayne Ellington scored 16, Justise Winslow added 15, Goran Dragic had 14 and Josh Richardson finished with 12 for the Heat, who remained seventh in the Eastern Conference playoff
race.

Olynyk's previous high for assists was eight, done twice. He scored 52 points, had 16 assists and grabbed 13 rebounds in Miami's brief two-game homestand, with the Heat winning both
outings.

Enes Kanter scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for the
Knicks. Michael Beasley added 22 points on 10 for 15 shooting for New York, and Trey Burke scored 16 off the
bench.

Miami held a 27-8 edge in points off turnovers, and shot 56 percent. The Heat were 15 for 34 from 3-point range.

Miami led 64-47 at the half, before the Knicks quickly made things interesting. Hardaway's 3-pointer got the Knicks
within 72-63 with 5 minutes gone in the third quarter, but the Heat-who are on the cusp of setting a franchise record for 3s made in a season-went to the long ball to take command right
back.

Johnson made consecutive 3-pointers to start a personal 8-0 run that restored the 17-
point edge, the lead eventually swelled to as much as 28 and the Heat emptied their bench with 5 minutes left in the fourth
quarter.

Philadelphia shot 64 percent (16 for 25) from the field in the period, including 6 for 10 from 3-point range.

The starters didn't play another minute, saving energy for the second game of the back-to-back on Thursday night at Orlando. The move did prevent Simmons from reaching his fourth triple-double in the last five
games.

 

Cavaliers 132, Raptors 129

CLEVELAND-LeBron James scored 35 points and added 17 assists, his last setting
up a late a 3-pointer by Kevin Love, and the undermanned
Cleveland Cavaliers ended Toronto's nine-game road winning streak with a 132-129 victory over the Eastern Conference-leading Raptors on Wednesday
night.

The Cavs were missing five rotational players and coach Tyronn Lue, who missed his second straight game because of health reasons.

But they had James, who earlier in the day said, "I'll be available, so we got a chance."

James didn't have a turnover in 40 minutes and he made three free throws in the final 7.8 seconds. He missed one with 3.9 seconds left, giving Toronto a final shot, but DeMar DeRozan's 3-pointer-contested by James-was wide left. DeRozan and Toronto coaches complained the All-Star was fouled to no
avail.

Love, playing his second game after missing 21 games with a broken left hand, finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds and George Hill had 22 on 10-of-11 shooting for the Cavs, who were blown out by 34 points against Toronto in January. But that was before Cleveland shook up its roster with four trades designed to get back to the NBA Finals. The
Cavs are third in the East and would need a collapse by second-place Boston to improve on that position with 11 games remaining.

Kyle Lowry scored 24 and DeRozan had 21 for the Raptors, who scored 79 points
in the first half and were in control in the third quarter before James brought Cleveland
back.

With the Cavs up 125-124, James drove the lane and whipped the ball into the corner to Love, who knocked down his 1,000th career 3-pointer.

The Raptors have lost to the Cavs in each of the past two postseasons, getting swept last year in the conference finals. But this is a different Toronto team, deeper, more experienced and maybe poised to dethrone
Cleveland.

Not if James has anything to say about it.

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