UNDATED (AP) — The Miami Heat have increased their lead in the NBA’s Eastern Conference standings, moving 2 1/2 games ahead of Milwaukee.
Bam Adebayo delivered 30 points and 17 rebounds as the Heat handed the Cavaliers their seventh loss in 10 games, 117-105. Jimmy Butler added 24 points and a pair of big third-quarter runs that helped Miami improve to 16-7 after losses.
Tyler Herro scored 22 points and Max Strus finished with 17 for the Heat, who scored 13 straight in the third quarter to go ahead to stay.
Also in the NBA, Gregg Popovich became the league’s all-time winningest coach with his 1,336th, passing Don Nelson. Dejounte Murray had 27 points and nine rebounds to lead the Spurs past the Jazz, 104-102.
Checking out Friday’s other NBA action:
— Gary Trent Jr. pumped in 42 points to lead the Raptors to a 117-112 win over the league-leading Suns. Pascal Siakam added 25 points and 10 assists for Toronto, and Scottie Barnes had 15 points.
— LeBron James erupted for 50 points for the 15th time in his career and helped rally the Lakers in the second half to a 122-109 victory over the Wizards. It is the second straight home game during which James has scored at least 50 and the third time he has done it with the Lakers.
— Ja Morant delivered 15 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Grizzlies close out a 118-114 win over the Knicks. New York led 106-105 until Morant scored 10 straight Memphis points, putting the Grizzlies ahead by seven in the final minute.
— Jayson Tatum had 31 points and eight rebounds, while Jaylen Brown added 22 points and eight boards in the Celtics’ fifth straight win, 114-103 versus the Pistons. Marcus Smart added 20 points for Boston, which has won 18 of 21 since a Jan. 21 loss dropped them a game below .500.
— The Mavericks earned a 113-100 win over the Rockets as Luka Doncic scored 30 points and Dwight Powell had 26. Spencer Dinwiddie added 16 points and seven assists to help the Mavericks win for the sixth time in seven games and move to a season-high-tying 15 games above .500 at 41-26.
— Trae Young scored 27 points to lead six Hawks scorers in double figures in a 112-106 downing of the Clippers. Atlanta led only 94-92 in the fourth when back-to-back three-point plays by Onyeka Okongwu stretched the advantage to eight points.
— The Hornets rolled to a 142-120 rout of the Pelicans as Terry Rozier highlighted his 27-point performance with seven 3-pointers. Miles Bridges had 27 points and nine assists for Charlotte, which hit 22 3s and shot 60% overall in snapping a two-game skid.
— Mo Bamba scored 27 points and the Magic went on a 23-4 burst in the second half to beat the Timberwolves, 118-110, ending Minnesota’s winning streak at six games. Wendell Carter Jr. had 20 points and Mo Wagner came off the bench with 18 points in just 13 minutes for the Magic.
