Heat scorch Bucks, close in on Cavaliers

Miami: Goran Dragic’s 25 points propelled Miami to a 97-79 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks that pushed the Heat within one game of the Cleveland Cavaliers for third place in the NBA Eastern Conference.

The Heat, a tad sluggish to start, used a 14-0 second-half scoring run to notch up their seventh straight victory, tying the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics for the longest active winning streak in the league.

“I thought the guys really stepped it up in the second half,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It was great to see those inspiring efforts. Even at the end, the loose balls, [James Johnson] diving on the floor. You don’t need to do that at that point, but that’s becoming the DNA of this group.”