more photosMIAMI — It's not the type of streak that LeBron James ever thought about, this run of putting together at least 30 points and 60 percent shooting in six straight games.
Still, it's something he'll savor. He's rolling right now, and so are the Miami Heat.
James scored 30 points on 11 for 15 shooting to get into the NBA record books, Chris Bosh scored 32 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and the Heat wound up beating the Portland Trail Blazers 117-104 in a wild, momentum-swinging game on Tuesday night.
It was the 1,000th regular-season win in Heat history. But on this night, the only history anyone will remember was what James accomplished. According to the Heat, only Adrian Dantley and Moses Malone had done the 30-point, 60-percent streak in five straight outings before James joined their club. Now he stands alone.
“I'm at a loss for words," James said in a televised postgame interview. “Like I say over and over, I know the history of the game. I know how many unbelievable players who came through the ranks, who paved the way for me and my teammates. And for me to be in the record books by myself with such a stat — any stat — it's big-time."
Dwyane Wade added 24 points for Miami, which wasted a pair of 14-point leads — then put the game away with a 14-0 run in the final minutes. Ray Allen added 14 for Miami.
Damian Lillard had a game-high 33 points for Portland, which got 29 from LaMarcus Aldridge and 20 from Wesley Matthews.
Just like the Heat, the Blazers also saw a 14-point lead slip away in the game, and then simply got shut down late by a stretch of airtight Miami defense.
“That was typical Miami Heat stuff," Lillard said. “Transition, finishing strong around the rim, and LeBron picking defenses apart."
On a night where the teams took turns putting together big runs, it was the Heat who had the last rally.
With the game tied at 99-all, James drove baseline on former Cleveland teammate Sasha Pavlovic for a two-handed slam that he punctuated with a long scream. The Blazers immediately responded. Matthews made a 3-pointer on the next Portland possession to give the Trail Blazers their last lead. Miami scored the next 14 points, including when James got loose for a dunk with 2:38 remaining.
“He played a very good basketball game," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra deadpanned afterward. “That's all you're going to get out of me right now. He competes. He loves to compete. He loves close games. ... And he's leading us, not just with his talent."
Bosh made a jumper with 1:55 left to end the run and seal the win, Miami's sixth straight overall.
A glance at the halftime boxscore — Portland 59, Miami 58 — would have suggested the opening two quarters were closely contested, back-and-forth basketball.
Not exactly. There were deep and dramatic shifts in momentum, with James and Aldridge simply taking over play for long stretches in the early going.
Miami started with a flurry, hitting its first seven shots and doing so with James collecting five assists in the game's first 3:52. The Heat led 14-5 after that burst, and were still shooting 75 percent with a minute to go in the opening quarter.
They also were trailing at that point. The Blazers were doing anything they wanted on the offensive end.
“I thought it was a good effort by our team," Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. “Miami's one of the best if not the best team in the league right now and they are playing at a high level. We matched it for about 44 minutes."
More than matched it for a while, too.
Aldridge went on a personal 13-0 run over a stretch of nearly four minutes midway through the half, single-handedly seeming to turn what was a 29-24 Portland deficit into a 37-29 Portland lead. And another quick burst, this time a 10-1 run by the Blazers, gave the visitors what was their biggest lead, 57-43 with 4:48 left in the half. But James scored 10 points in a 15-2 Miami run to end the half, and the Blazers' lead was down to a single point at intermission.
Also on Tuesday:
Rockets 116
Warriors 107
OAKLAND, Calif. — James Harden had 27 points and seven rebounds on a nagging injured left knee as Houston beat slumping Golden State.
Lakers 91
Suns 85
LOS ANGELES — Dwight Howard had 19 points and 18 rebounds, Antawn Jamison added 19 points, and Los Angeles survived Kobe Bryant's bizarre four-point performance for its eighth win in 11 games.
Jazz 109
Thunder 94
SALT LAKE CITY — Al Jefferson scored 23 points as Utah stopped Oklahoma City's four-game winning streak.
Raptors 109
Nuggets 108
TORONTO — Rudy Gay hit a pull-up jump shot with less than five seconds remaining and Toronto beat short-handed Denver.
Grizzlies 108
Kings 101
MEMPHIS, Tenn.— Marc Gasol had 24 points and 12 rebounds as Memphis beat Sacramento.
