MIAMI — The Miami Heat extended their franchise-best winning streak to 18 games by beating mistake-prone Indiana 105-91 Sunday, avenging two one-sided losses to the Pacers earlier this season. Dwyane Wade had 23 points and a half dozen steals and Chris Bosh shot 11-of-15 from the field and finished with 24 points for the Heat, who lost by double-digits in both previous contests to Indiana this season. Miami's 18-game winning streak ties the sixth-longest run in National Basketball Association history and they can match the 2008 Boston Celtics' 19-game win streak with a victory over the Atlanta Hawks Tuesday. Mario Chalmers had a game high 26 points and nailed five-of-six three pointers and LeBron James added 13 points and seven assists in the win. David West scored a team-high 24 points for the Pacers, who committed 18 turnovers. Paul George struggled, shooting just two-of-11 from the field for Indiana, which were the last team to defeat the Heat back in the beginning of February. Lakers 90, Bulls 81: After two huge comebacks in a week, the Los Angeles Lakers lived easy Sunday in a 90-81 win over the visiting Chicago Bulls. As they push toward a playoff berth that at one point seemed a faint possibility - moving into the Western Conference No. 8 seed, a half-game better than idle Utah - the Lakers could use the relaxation. Four days after a 25-point comeback in a win at New Orleans and two days after a 15-point comeback against the Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles glided to the win behind a balanced offensive effort and the defense of Dwight Howard. Six Lakers scored in double-figures, led by Kobe Bryant's 19, and Howard scored 16 points, grabbed 21 rebounds and blocked four shots. Thunder 91, Celtics 79: Kevin Durant scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as Oklahoma City beat Boston 91-79 at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Trailing by 14 with 2:45 left in the game, Boston tried to make one last run. Jason Terry drained consecutive 3-pointers to cut lead to 87-79 with 2:10 on the clock. The Celtics (34-28) came up with another defensive stop and set Jeff Green up for a 3-pointer. But with a defender flying at him, his shot was off the mark. The Thunder (47-16) got the rebound and Russell Westbrook ran the clock down to 37 seconds before feeding Serge Ibaka for an easy layup that pushed the deficit back to 10 and sealed a Thunder victory. Hornets 98, Trail Blazers 96: Ryan Anderson took a shovel pass from Greivis Vasquez in the lane and made a layup that he turned into a three-point play with 1.8 seconds left to lift the New Orleans Hornets to a 98-96 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. In beating the Blazers for the second time at home in a month, the Hornets (22-42) snapped a three-game losing streak and dealt the Blazers' playoffs hope a blow, especially considering Portland was coming off a 30-point road victory over San Antonio Friday night. Raptors 100, Cavaliers 96: Kyle Lowry drained a fade-away jumper with 14.2 seconds remaining, and the Toronto Raptors picked up a 100-96 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Lowry finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Alan Anderson had a team-high 18 points for Toronto. Cleveland's Dion Waiters finished with a game-high 21 points. Magic 99, 76ers 91: Jameer Nelson had 24 points and 10 assists to lead the Orlando Magic to a 99-91 victory over the road-weary Philadelphia 76ers. The victory snapped the Magic's seven-game, home-court losing streak, but it also extended the Sixers' road losing streak to 13 games, their longest in 24 years. In other games it was: Dallas 100, Minnesota 77; Milwaukee 115, Sacramento 113; LA Clippers 129, Detriot 97. — Agencies
