LEAD: James erupts in third quarter, leads Heat in rout of Spurs

By Chris Bernucca Jan 18, 2012, 5:40 GMT

Los Angeles - In the third quarter, LeBron James and the Miami Heat gave the San Antonio Spurs the third degree.

James scored 17 of his 33 points in a third-period explosion as the Heat - playing without injured superstar Dwyane Wade - stormed back for a 120-98 home victory over the Spurs on Tuesday night.

Chris Bosh scored 30 points for the Heat (9-4), who were back home after losing the last three games of a road trip. They extended the road struggles of the Spurs, who are 9-0 at home and 0-5 on the road.

'We want to protect home court,' said James, who made 12-of-21 shots, including four three-pointers, and added 10 assists. 'We know we didn't have the best road trip.'

'LeBron and Chris were brilliant offensively tonight and shouldered a big load,' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

Wade suffered a sprained right ankle in Friday's loss to Denver. He already had left foot and right calf injuries, and the Heat opted to rest their him on his 30th birthday.

Miami was missing a spark early as San Antonio bolted to a 35-26 lead after one period and widened the margin to 52-35 on a three-point play by Gary Neal with 3:12 left in the first half.

However, the Heat were 3-0 without Wade this season, and James had averaged 34 points in games missed by Wade since the start of last season. 'King James' kept the Heat close with 16 first-half points, then took over in the third quarter.

The Spurs still held a 67-55 lead early in the third quarter before James erupted. He scored 15 points - sinking three straight three-pointers - and assisted on two baskets in a 23-1 burst that gave Miami a 78-68 lead with 3:23 remaining.

'I just tried to push through it in the third quarter,' James said. 'My teammates did a great job of finding me and stepping up defensively.'

'LeBron James was great,' Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. 'He waited for the third quarter to come out and he went wild. That certainly helped them kick our butts.'

During the pivotal stretch, the Spurs shot 0-of-10 with two turnovers. They were outscored, 39-12, in the third quarter.

'The activity on the defensive side of the floor in the second half was about as good as we can be,' Spoelstra said.

Mike Miller made his season debut following hernia surgery and sank six three-pointers for 18 points for the Heat, who shot 58 per cent (46-of-79) overall and scored 71 points in the second half.

Danny Green scored 20 points and France's Tony Parker added 18 for the Spurs, who managed just 35 points after halftime.

'In the second half, I thought they got really physical and I felt we folded,' Popovich said.

Chicago 118, Phoenix 97 =

Carlos Boozer scored a season-high 31 points - 26 in the first half - as the Eastern Conference-leading Bulls - without injured MVP Derrick Rose - improved to 6-0 at home. Canada's Steve Nash had 25 points and nine assists for the Suns, who have dropped five straight.

Orlando 96, Charlotte 89 =

Dwight Howard had 25 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks for the host Magic, who notched their fifth straight win. The Bobcats have lost eight of nine.

Utah 108, LA Clippers 79 =

Paul Millsap scored 20 points to lead a balanced attack for the Jazz, who have won eight of nine. Playing withpout injured star point guard Chris Paul, the Clippers lost their 16th straight visit to Salt Lake City.

Denver 105, Milwaukee 95 =

Corey Brewer scored a season-high 22 points to lead six players in double figures as the visiting Nuggets handed the Bucks their first home loss. Brandon Jennings scored 30 points for Milwaukee.

Houston 97, Detroit 80 =

Argentina's Luis Scola and Haiti's Samuel Dalembert scored 14 points apiece as the host Rockets dealt the Pistons their eighth loss in nine games.

Golden State 105, Cleveland 95 =

David Lee scored 13 of his season-high 29 points in the fourth quarter for the Warriors, who have won back-to-back road games for the first time since November 2010.