MIAMI — The Miami Heat got the better of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers with a 101-91 victory in the Christmas Day return of the two-time NBA champion to his former team. James, who was given a warm welcome by Miami fans, scored 30 points on nine of 16 shooting, with eight assists and four turnovers. Miami, without the injured Chris Bosh, started and finished the game well, with Dwyane Wade scoring 31 points, 24 of them in the first half, and Luol Deng putting up 25. There were a few boos mixed in with cheers and applause when James's name was announced before the opening tip-off but the true sentiment of the crowd was evident after a first quarter time-out when the Heat showed a highlight reel of his achievements during his four years in Miami. The crowd stood to applaud and James acknowledged the appreciation by waving to all four sides of the court. At the end of the game, James embraced his former teammates and had a lengthy conversation with Wade. The Heat saw a second quarter 17 point lead shrink to two by late in the third but, inspired by Deng and Chris Andersen, they found another gear and ran out comfortable winners. Cleveland was without Brazilian center Anderson Varejao, who has been ruled out for the rest of season after tearing his left Achilles tendon. Bulls 113, Lakers 93: Forward Pau Gasol scored 23 points against his former team as the Chicago Bulls cruised to a 113-93 win against the Los Angeles Lakers. Guard Jimmy Butler added 21 points for the Bulls (20-9), who extended their winning streak to five games. Gasol also pulled down 13 rebounds against the Lakers, with whom he won two NBA championships and spent seven seasons before signing a three-year contract with Chicago last summer. The Lakers (9-20) lost for the fourth time in five games and stumbled to 5-10 on the road. They played the second consecutive game without guard Kobe Bryant, who sat out because of soreness. Bulls guard Derrick Rose scored 20 points with six assists in nearly 32 minutes. Thunder 114, Spurs 106: Guard Russell Westbrook scored 34 points and dished out 11 assists to help the Oklahoma City Thunder defeat the San Antonio Spurs. Fans in San Antonio, and a national television audience, were denied a marquee matchup of small forwards when Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant and San Antonio's Kawhi Leonard sat due to injuries. Thunder center Steven Adams had 16 points and 15 rebounds, including seven offensive boards, while forward Serge Ibaka scored 21 points. Forward Matt Bonner led the Spurs (18-12) with 17 points. Wizards 102, Knicks 91: Point guard John Wall totaled 24 points and 11 assists and the Washington Wizards rolled to a 102-91 victory over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Wall posted his 17th double-double and made 10 of 17 shots from the field as Washington (20-8) avoided its first three-game losing streak. Shooting guard Bradley Beal added 17 points as the Wizards shot 51 percent from the floor (44 of 86). Forwards Nene and Kris Humphries contributed 14 and 12, respectively. Forward Carmelo Anthony scored 34 points for the Knicks, who lost their sixth in a row. Clippers 100, Warriors 86: Reserve guard Jamal Crawford scored 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and the Los Angeles Clippers shook off a rough first half to defeat the Golden State Warriors 100-86 at Staples Center. Point guard Chris Paul had 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists and forward Blake Griffin finished with 18 points, 15 rebounds and six assists for the Clippers (20-10), who ended a two-game losing streak. Center DeAndre Jordan added 14 points and 12 rebounds. Shooting guard Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 15 points, while point guard Stephen Curry finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. — Agencies
