Wade returns with 28 points, Heat survive a barrage to beat Knicks

Jan 28, 2012, 6:26 GMT

Los Angeles - All-Star guard Dwyane Wade scored 28 points after missing the last six games with a right ankle sprain, and the Miami Heat withstood a barrage of three-pointers to beat the shorthanded New York Knicks 99-89 Friday night.

LeBron James collected 31 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for Miami, which pulled away in the fourth quarter for its sixth win in the last seven games.

Backup Bill Walker fired in 21 points, hitting seven of the Knicks' season-high 18-of-43 attempts from behind the arc but lost for the eighth time in the last nine games.

New York played without its top scorer, Carmelo Anthony, who sat out the contest to rest a sore thumb, wrist and ankle.

Derrick Rose poured in a season-high 34 points, Carlos Boozer had 20 points with 13 rebounds and the Chicago Bulls won their NBA-best 17th game of the season after shading the visiting Milwaukee Bucks, 107-100.

Kevin Love collected 18 points with 16 rebounds and the Minnesota Timberwolves closed on a 10-0 run, to beat the visiting San Antonio Spurs for just the third time in the last 24 meetings, 87-79.

Carl Landry scored 17 points, Marco Belinelli added 15 and the New Orleans Hornets snapped a season-high nine-game slide after stinging the visiting Orlando Magic, 93-67, despite 28 points and 16 boards by Dwight Howard.

Elsewhere: the Dallas Mavericks drummed the visiting Utah Jazz 116-101; the Atlanta Hawks soared past the Detroit Pistons, 107-101 in overtime; the Philadelphia 76ers crushed the visiting Charlotte Bobcats 89-72; the Boston Celtics rolled the visiting Indiana Pacers 94-87; and the Houston Rockets whipped the visiting Washington Wizards 103-76.

Also, the Denver Nuggets rocked the visiting Toronto Raptors 96-81; the Portland Trail Blazers pounded the visiting Phoenix Suns 109-71; the visiting New Jersey Nets clipped the Cleveland Cavaliers 99-96; and the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder pulled away from the Golden State Warriors 120-109.