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King James and his court: LeBron big in NYC as Heat drop Knicks

Dec 18, 2010 - 6:33 AM New York, NY (Sports Network) - LeBron James put on another show at Madison Square Garden, posting 32 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the streaking Miami Heat past the New York Knicks, 113-91.

Having a big game in New York is nothing new for James, the owner of two 50- point performances at the Garden. Friday marked his first triple-double at the historic venue, as well as his first game there since declining to sign with the Knicks and joining the Heat.

The effort helped Miami take its 11th consecutive win, the team's longest streak since the 2004-05 season. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh each finished with 26 points for the Heat.

"It's a great building," James said. "Myself and D-Wade talk about it all the time that there's certain buildings in this league that you get excited about. This being the Mecca of basketball -- as a kid, you always envision playing in the NBA, but also having the chance to play in Madison Square Garden."

Danilo Gallinari scored 25 points, while Amare Stoudemire had 24 points and 14 boards for the Knicks, who have dropped two in a row since an eight- game winning streak. They were coming off Wednesday's two-point loss to the Eastern Conference's best team, Boston.

"We played well. We could have played better," Stoudemire said. "They scored whenever they wanted, so we have to get better on the defensive end."

The game was tied, 57-57, at halftime, but Miami took control in the third quarter.

New York was ahead by two a little more than two minutes into the period before James drilled a three to start an 11-2 run. Bosh closed it with a three-point play, which gave Miami a 70-63 advantage.

Several minutes later, Carlos Arroyo hit a three to start a six-point burst that expanded the Heat lead to double digits. Miami continued to pull away, and James came alive late in the frame, scoring eight points in the final 2:14.

He finished with 14 points in the quarter to help Miami carry a 90-74 lead into the fourth. The push was devastating for the Knicks, who didn't get within single digits the rest of the way.

If there was one thing that saved the Heat, it was shooting. While they turned the ball over 18 times and made only 13-of-18 free throws, they made 55 percent from the field, including 10-of-18 from beyond the arc. Arroyo made all three of his long-distance attempts and ended with 11 points.

The contest was close early, as the Heat made most of their shots and New York got out running for transition buckets. At the midway point of the first quarter, Stoudemire drove for an uncontested dunk to give the Knicks a 17-16 edge.

However, the Heat responded with the next seven points to move in front. Miami held a 34-25 lead after James scored the final six points of the quarter.

The Heat pushed their lead to 13 early in the second, but New York followed with three-pointers from Toney Douglas and Gallinari to get back in the game. Another three from Douglas near the mid-point of the quarter pulled the Knicks within two, and it was close the rest of the half.

The teams traded the lead before Raymond Felton's pullup jumper with 18.7 seconds on the clock tied the game.

Game Notes

James recorded his 30th career triple-double and second of the season...In 12 career games at the Garden, James has averaged 30.5 points...Miami's current winning streak is tied for third-longest in franchise history. The Heat won 11 consecutive games from Jan. 27 - Feb. 20, 1997, and have also recorded a 12- game winning streak (Feb. 26 - March 19, 2005) and franchise-record 14-game streak (Dec. 6, 2004 - Jan. 1, 2005)...Wilson Chandler finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds for New York...Felton had 10 assists and eight points.