NBA: LeBron James turns up the Heat on Lakers with record performance

James scored more than 30 points for the fifth consecutive game as Miami ran out 107-97 winners, while the Lakers' city rivals capitalised on a fit squad once again to beat the New York Knicks.

LeBron James looks for a way past Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace.
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LeBron James set a Miami record as the Heat claimed their fifth win in a row, with the Los Angeles Lakers falling to a 107-97 defeat.

Guard Dwyane Wade scored 16 of his 30 points in the final quarter, while James finished with 32 points and seven rebounds as he set a club record by scoring at least 30 points in five consecutive games.

"You could feel the buzz in the arena today," said James. "We were just happy that we were able to play our game, weather some of their storms that they had and come out with a win."

Chris Bosh posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat, who have won five straight.

Mario Chalmers had 13 points, four rebounds and three assists in the win.

Kobe Bryant paced the Lakers with 28 points and nine assists as Los Angeles lost for the second time in three games.

Earl Clark finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, and Dwight Howard had 15 points and nine rebounds for Los Angeles.

The Lakers' city rivals the Los Angeles Clippers put their recent injury problems behind them to run out 102-88 victories at the New York Knicks.

Carmelo Anthony contributed nearly half of New York's points yet still ended up on the losing side, with his 42 points - the fifth time he has scored more than 40 points in a game this season - not enough to secure a win for the Knicks.

Having previously lost Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups and Blake Griffin along with sixth man Jamal Crawford to injury, Los Angeles used their impressive depth to bury the Knicks.

All Star forward Griffin acknowledged that it might have taken the Clippers, losers of eight of their previous 11 games, a little time to get reacclimated.

"Maybe a little bit. We hadn't played all together in a while so it was going to take a little bit of time," said Griffin, who scored 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting in Sunday's win.

The Boston Celtics extended their winning streak to seven matches and halted Denver's in the process following a sensational 118-114 triple overtime triumph over the Nuggets.

Paul Pierce led the way for the Celtics with a phenomenal performance, contributing 27 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists - his second double-triple in the last two weeks.

Denver slipped to their first defeat in 10 matches in the battle of the in-form teams, despite Ty Lawson top-scoring in the match with 29 points.

The Oklahoma City Thunder brushed aside the Phoenix Suns for the second time in three days, this time easing to a 97-69 success.

Russell Westbrook scored 24 points and Thabo Sefolosha sank five three-pointers out of seven attempts in the Thunder's fourth straight win, while Markieff Morris was the only Phoenix player to register double figures in points with 12.

The Orlando Magic ended a woeful run of defeats with their first win in 13 matches after JJ Redick's 22 points guided them past the Portland Trail Blazers 110-104.

John Lucas scored 10 of his 19 points in the final quarter as the Toronto Raptors overhauled the New Orleans Hornets 102-89 for their second successive win and strong showings in the second and third quarters propelled the Memphis Grizzlies to a 105-88 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The San Antonio Spurs bounced back from defeat against the Detroit Pistons to ease past the Brooklyn Nets 111-86 - their 11th win in 12 matches - and the Sacramento Kings came from behind at the end of the third quarter to edge out the Houston Rockets 117-111.

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