TORONTO — Both on the court and along the sidelines, the Miami Heat will be well represented at this month’s NBA All-Star game.
LeBron James scored 30 points, Chris Bosh had 28 against his former team and the Miami Heat beat Toronto 100-85 Sunday for their 10th straight victory over the Raptors.
The victory guarantees Miami the top spot in the Eastern Conference as of Feb. 3, percentage points ahead of the New York Knicks. That means Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and his staff will be in charge when the All-Stars suit up in Houston in two weeks.
“It’s awesome," James said. “It’s a testament to our coaches’ preparedness. As players we go out there and just try to execute their game plan. We’re happy for them."
Spoelstra, the fifth-year coach who led the Heat to the NBA championship last June, called the All-Star nod “a heck of an honor."
“We’re happy to go, we’re excited about it," Spoelstra said. “You don’t spend any time thinking about it as it’s happening, you’re just trying to prepare your team and make sure you have the best record. Now that it happened, it’s cool. We’ll make the most of it. Our staff is thrilled about it. Our players gave us congratulations afterward. That’s about as rare a thing as you’ll ever get in this league."
Dwyane Wade added 23 points as the Heat bounced back after Friday’s 102-89 loss at Indiana, ensuring their team Super Bowl viewing party would be a happy one.
“It’s good to get this one to close out this road trip so we can enjoy this evening and enjoy the second game," Spoelstra said.
Also on Sunday:
Celtics 106
Clippers 104
BOSTON — Paul Pierce scored 22 points and Boston held off a late comeback to beat the Los Angeles Clippers and improve to 4-0 since losing Rajon Rondo for the season to a torn knee ligament.
Lakers 98
Pistons 97
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Pau Gasol had 23 points and 10 rebounds, and he contested Detroit’s last-second alley-oop attempt to help the Los Angeles Lakers hold on for the win.
