Luol Deng steps up for Miami  

 

Luol Deng scored 27 points to lead the Miami Heat over Washington 114-94. Playing without top scorers Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade for the second consecutive game, the Heat never trailed after scoring 11 unanswered points for a 15-5 lead with 6:54 remaining in the first period.

 

Center Hassan Whiteside returned from a one-game suspension and scored a career-high 25 points with 22 rebounds for Miami.

 

Carmelo Anthony scored 30 points and had 11 rebounds while Robin Lopez tied season highs with 26 points and 16 rebounds to spark the New York Knicks over host Minnesota 103-95. Arron Afflalo and Lance Thomas each scored 11 points for New York, which ended a seven-game losing streak.

 

Karl-Anthony Towns and guard Andrew Wiggins led the Timberwolves with 24 points while Ricky Rubio passed out 16 assists.

 

Jabari Parker scored a career-high 28 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lift the Milwaukee Bucks over host Atlanta 117-109 in double overtime. — Agence France-Presse