NBA: Miami Heat defeat Los Angeles Lakers to complete Staples Center double
Last Updated: 14/01/15 8:12am
Miami Heat completed a Staples Center sweep with a 78-75 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
Mario Chalmers scored nine of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, Hassan Whiteside added 15 points and Chris Bosh chipped in with eight points on 4-of-17 shooting for the Heat, who followed up their surprise victory over the Clippers two days ago with another victory in California.
Lakers lost Dwyane Wade to a strained left hamstring late in the first half but they rallied to claim victory in a scrappy encounter.
Kobe Bryant scored 12 points on 3-of-19 shooting in his return to the Lakers' line-up after missing three of the last four games to rest.
Bryant's 3-pointer with 31 seconds to play reduced Miami's lead to three points, but he missed another three-pointer with two seconds left that would have taken the match into overtime.
Elsewhere, Phoenix forward Markieff Morris had a career-high 35 points as the Suns spoiled Cleveland forward LeBron James' return to action with a 107-100 victory over the Cavaliers.
James scored 33 points and contributed seven rebounds and five assists in his first game of the year after missing eight games with knee and back injuries.
James gave the Cavs a 97-96 lead with 3:50 remaining before the Suns finished the game on an 11-3 run of scoring.
Suns forward P.J. Tucker made four free throws in the final 27 seconds after James' three-point play made it 103-100 with 51.1 seconds remaining.
NBA results:
Indiana Pacers 101 Minnesota Timberwolves 110
LA Lakers 75 Miami Heat 78
Philadelphia 76ers 87 Atlanta Hawks 105
Phoenix Suns 107 Cleveland Cavaliers 100
Sacramento Kings 104 Dallas Mavericks 108 (OT)
Utah Jazz 105 Golden State Warriors 116
