LeBron James’ late layup stretches Heat win streak

Miami: LeBron James scored the game-winning layup with 3.2 seconds remaining on Wednesday to give defending NBA champion Miami a 97-96 victory over visiting Orlando, stretching the Heat’s win streak to 16 games.

James dribbled to the basket while being guarded, but flipped the ball up and into the basket to boost Miami’s overall club-record victory run and provide his team with a 12th consecutive home triumph.

The reigning NBA most valuable player finished with a game-high of 26 points, while Dwyane Wade added 24 points and Chris Bosh contributed 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat.

Miami, with the best record in the Eastern Conference at 45-15, moved within one triumph of matching the longest win streak in the NBA this season, a 17-game run by the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Heat will have a chance to pass the Clippers with triumphs at home on Friday against Philadelphia and Sunday against Indiana.

Orlando, with the NBA’s second-worst record at 17-45, were led by 25 points and 21 rebounds from 7-footer Nikola Vucevic, a 22-year-old from Montenegro.

Miami led 55-40 at half-time before the Magic rallied within 77-74 entering the fourth quarter. Orlando opened the fourth quarter with a 12-4 run for an 86-81 lead before the Heat bounced back to leave the game level at 93-93 with 2:22 remaining.

Jameer Nelson’s jump shot and a Tobias Harris free throw gave the Magic a 96-93 lead. James, Wade and Ray Allen missed three-pointers before Bosh hit two free throws after being fouled by Vucevic to pull Miami within 96-95.

Orlando’s Al Harrington missed a three-point attempt and James grabbed the rebound, setting up the final Heat possession and his game-winning shot.

Miami last lost on February 1 at Indiana and the Heat last dropped a home game on January 4 against Chicago.

NBA: Granger to miss another week with sore knee

Meanwhile, Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger will miss the next week of the NBA season even though an MRI exam showed no new damage to his left knee, the team announced on Wednesday.

Granger missed the first 55 games of the season for the Pacers because of patellar tendinitis in his knee before making his debut last month and playing in Indiana’s past five games.

But Granger played only eight minutes last Sunday against Chicago before leaving the game with soreness in the knee, which he originally hurt against Miami last May in the second round of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Pacers decided that even with no new damage shown in an MRI exam, they want to rest Granger’s knee before he returns to action.

He will miss games on Friday at Orlando and Sunday at Miami before being re-evaluated.

Granger, 29, averaged 18.1 points a game since being selected by Indiana in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft but has averaged only 5.4 points and 1.8 rebounds this season.