The Heat came into the Wells Fargo Center with that winning feeling. That was evident by their 19 straight victories, a remarkable feat accomplished only six times in NBA history.
The Sixers did their best to end the Heat’s run, but fell just short in a 98-94 loss. The defeat was the Sixers’ 14th straight to Miami in the regular season.
With the win, the Heat became just one of four teams to ever win 20 consecutive games. They join the 1972 Lakers, who hold the record with 33 straight, the 2008 Rockets and the 1971 Milwaukee Bucks.
Turning point
Jrue Holiday turned the ball over with 54 seconds to play and the Sixers down, 92-91. Miami proceeded to put the ball in Lebron James’ hands. He drove to the basket and missed. However, he was able to get his own rebound only to miss again.
Dwyane Wade finally got his hand on the ball coming off the rim and tipped it in to put the Heat up three with 29.4 seconds remaining.
The Sixers almost cut it to a one-point deficit on the ensuing possession, but a Spencer Hawes layup attempt rolled off the rim.
NBA
Follow the leader
The Miami Heat relied on a two-man wrecking crew to defeat the Sixers. James led the Heat with 27 points, while Wade scored 21.
Chris Bosh had 10 points and three blocks, while Ray Allen added 12 points off the bench.
Thaddeus Young had his third consecutive double-double with a team-high 24 points and 15 rebounds.
Holiday scored 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. He also had seven assists and grabbed seven rebounds.
Stat-egic
The Heat were a plus-16 points at the foul line. Miami was 23 of 27 from the charity stripe, while the Sixers were 7 for 12.
Take a bow
Evan Turner scored 15 points on 7-for-13 shooting and Dorell Wright continued his strong play off the bench with 13 points. Wright shot 3 of 6 from behind the three-point line.
What’s next?
The Sixers face the Indiana Pacers at home on Saturday night. The Pacers have beaten the Sixers twice this season, holding them to 85 points on their home floor and just 69 points when they visited the Wells Fargo Center.
Indiana is led in scoring by Paul George (17.6 points per game) and David West (17.5).
Defensively is where Indiana takes opponents down. While the Pacers are 25th in the league in scoring, they are second in points allowed and first in opponents’ field goal percentage. They are also first in opponents’ three-point field goal percentage.