The Miami Heat’s 27-game winning streak ended Wednesday in a 101-97 loss to the Chicago Bulls after a furious comeback by LeBron James and his teammates fell short.
The Heat finished six games short of the record held by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers.
Luol Deng scored 28 points and Carlos Boozer added 21 points and 17 rebounds as the Bulls brought the Heat’s pursuit of the record to a screeching halt despite another big game from James.
Miami’s superstar did all he could to keep the run going, scoring 32 points in a physical final few minutes that saw the MVP even collect a flagrant foul.
The Heat hadn’t lost since the Pacers beat them in Indianapolis on Feb. 1. But after grinding out some close wins lately, including a rally from 27 down in Cleveland, they simply came up short down the stretch in this one.
San Antonio’s Tim Duncan had 23 points and 14 rebounds as the Spurs escaped with a 100-99 win over Denver when Nuggets veteran guard Andre Miller missed a short jumper at the buzzer.
Danny Green added 20 points and Tony Parker had 18 points and 11 assists for the Spurs, who remained 11/2 games ahead of Oklahoma City in the race for the top spot in the Western Conference. Kawhi Leonard chipped in with 11 points and Tiago Splitter had 10.
JaVale McGee had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Wilson Chandler scored 15 points and Miller 14 for the Nuggets.
At Oklahoma City, Russell Westbrook scored 21 points and Kevin Durant had 20 in a 103-80 win over the Washington Wizards.
Kevin Martin added 18 points for the Thunder, who are 11/2 games behind San Antonio for the top spot in the West.
J.R. Smith scored 35 points, his second straight 30-point game, as the New York Knicks withstood a furious rally to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 108-101.
Carmelo Anthony added 22 points and Iman Shumpert had 16 as the Knicks equaled a season high with their sixth straight win.
Blake Griffin scored 19 points and Chris Paul added 16 points and nine assists for the Clippers as Los Angles downed the New Orleans Hornets 105-91.
Indiana’s Roy Hibbert scored a season-high 28 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and Lance Stephenson added a season-high 21 points to lead the Pacers to a 100-91 victory over the Houston Rockets.
Reggie Evans grabbed a career-high 26 rebounds and matched his career high with 22 points to lead the Brooklyn Nets past the Portland Trail Blazers 111-93, while the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves as Kobe Bryant had 31 points and seven assists in his first game filling in at small forward for injured Metta World Peace.
In other games, the Atlanta Hawks downed the Toronto Raptors 107-88, the Boston Celtics edged the Cleveland Cavaliers 93-92, the Sacramento Kings beat the Golden State Warriors 105-98.
The Philadelphia 76ers were 100-92 winners over the Milwaukee Bucks, the Utah Jazz defeated the Phoenix Suns 103-88 and the Charlotte Bobcats beat the Orlando Magic 114-108.
