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LeBron returns, paces Heat over Nets

Jan 8, 2012 - 4:49 AM Newark, NJ (Sports Network) - LeBron James scored 32 points, dished out nine assists and pulled down seven rebounds in his return to the lineup, as the Miami Heat dominated the New Jersey Nets, 101-90.

James (ankle) and Dwyane Wade (foot) both missed Miami's triple-overtime win over the Hawks on Thursday. Wade was held out for a third straight game on Saturday.

"We turn the ball over, and he's gone," Nets head coach Avery Johnson said of James. "He is a combination of a tight end, wide receiver [and] running back once he gets two or three steps on you."

Chris Bosh tallied 16 points and two blocks for the Heat, who have won 10 consecutive regular season road games dating back to last year. Udonis Haslem added 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Miami has won three in a row to improve its NBA-best record to 8-1.

Kris Humphries ended with 25 points and 12 boards for the Nets, who fell to 2-7 on the young season. MarShon Brooks and Anthony Morrow had 12 and 11 points, respectively.

James did it all for Miami in the first quarter, going 7-for-7 from the floor for 22 points. His personal 11-0 run late in the period gave the Heat a 25-12 margin with 2:11 left.

The Nets shot just 31.8 percent from the field in the period, compared to a 55 percent effort from Miami. The visitors took a 31-18 lead into the second.

"If I feel like I'm good to go, then I'm going to go out and play my game," James said.

Holding a 48-33 lead with three minutes left until half, the Heat went on a 7-0 burst. James Jones bookended the spurt with a jumper and three-pointer to make it a 55-33 contest. The score was 57-35 at the break.

Down 61-37 early in the third quarter, the Nets put together a 19-5 run to get back in the game. New Jersey had four three-pointers during the surge to cut the gap to 66-56 with 4:27 left.

But Shane Battier and Norris Cole made back-to-back three-pointers to give Miami a 72-56 edge. The score was 78-64 after three periods.

The Nets outscored the Heat by a 26-23 margin in the fourth.

Game Notes

Miami swept a three-game series with New Jersey a year ago and has won eight straight, 11 of 12 and 15 of the past 19 meetings between the teams. The Heat are unbeaten in the last five games at the Nets...New Jersey center Mehmet Okur (back) and forward Damion James (foot) missed the game...Miami shot 50 percent from the floor...The Nets turned the ball over 22 times, leading to 26 Miami points.