(The Sports Xchange) – Highlights of yesterday’s National Basketball Association games:
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Cavaliers 114, Heat 88
The chance of seeing an opening-round playoff series between Cleveland and Miami was dealt a major blow when the second-ranked Cavs knocked the Heat out of seventh place with a 114-88 victory on yesterday.
The situation became even more desperate for the Heat (34-41) when guard Dwyane Wade suffered a nasty fall that may have delivered a knockout punch to Miami’s post-season ambitions.
LeBron James scored 23 points, along with eight rebounds and seven assists against his former team, as Kyrie Irving also scored 23 points and the Cavs (49-27) pounded the Heat in what was a potential playoff series at the start of the game.
The Heat said Wade sustained a bruised left knee even though no one touched the All-Star and his leg barely touched the ground. He was dribbling near the baseline in the second quarter when his right foot slipped, causing his knee to buckle.
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Rockets 108, Mavericks 101
Houston rallied late to score a comeback victory over Dallas at American Airlines Center, taking another step towards locking down the number two seed in the tough Western Conference.
Dallas led 72-61 with 5:01 to go in the third quarter and Houston looked to be staring at a defeat until former Mavs forward Corey Brewer hopped off the bench and changed the flow of the game with his relentless energy.
Brewer scored six points in the third quarter and eight in the fourth to give him 14 points on four-of-eight shooting from the field. He was one of five Rockets players to score in double figures.
