(Field Level Media) Jimmy Butler scored 31 points as the host Miami Heat snapped a seven-game losing streak, beating the Sacramento Kings 115-106 last night.
Miami collected 38 assists on 42 baskets. Josh Richardson scored a season-high 24 points, including 16 in the first half.
For Butler, it was his third straight 20-plus-points game.
Keegan Murray led the Kings with a game-high 33 points.
This had been the longest Heat losing streak since dropping 15 straight games in December 2007-January 2008. This was also the longest losing streak in the coaching career of Miami’s Erik Spoelstra.
Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis had a triple-double of 19 points and game-highs of 17 rebounds and 13 assists. It was also his league-leading 42nd double-double this season and his 29th straight. The franchise record for consecutive double-doubles is 31 by Oscar Robertson, who did it twice in the 1960s.
The Kings’ De’Aaron Fox, who entered the game averaging 27.5 points, was held to 13. He made just 4 of 16 from the floor, including 1-for-8 on 3-pointers.
The Heat’s Bam Adebayo posted 16 points and moved past Chris Bosh into fifth place on the franchise career scoring list. The top four spots belong to Dwyane Wade, Alonzo Mourning, Glen Rice and LeBron James.
Heat wing Duncan Robinson (concussion protocol) missed the game.
Butler scored nine points in the first quarter as Miami led 28-22.
In the second quarter, Miami stretched its lead to 18 points as Sabonis missed his first four shots of the opening half and his first two free throws. He got his first points on a fast-break layup with 5:17 left in the half.
That got him going. Sabonis had nine points in the final five-plus minutes of the second quarter as Sacramento cut its deficit to 59-55 at halftime.
Murray led all first-half scorers with 21 points. Richardson led Miami with 16 points.
Sacramento moved ahead, 60-59, on Fox’s 3-pointer with 10:27 left in the third. But Miami led 90-84 by the end of the quarter.
The Heat cruised from there, shooting 50 percent from the floor for the game, including 13 of 28 on 3-pointers (46.4 percent).
Sacramento shot 44.1 percent from the floor, including 12-for-40 on 3-pointers (30.0 percent).
