Cleveland eliminated from postseason race

Miami used a 29-8 run in the second half to win 106-91.
MIAMI (AP) -- LeBron James got his points, but the Miami Heat's defense late in the game ensured that the rookie sensation will be watching the playoffs from the sidelines.
Dwyane Wade scored 20 points and Miami used a 29-8 run in the second half to pull away from the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 106-91 victory that eliminated James and the Cavs from the playoffs.
"We weren't playing defense. Coach kept stressing that and we knew it," Wade said. "We just really wanted to lock down on defense and get our transition game going."
A crowd of 20,213, a record for the AmericanAirlines Arena, saw the surging Heat win their 11th in a row at home. The Heat, who began the season 0-7, raised their record above .500 (40-39) for the first time since Oct. 31, 2001.
James kept his team in the game, but the Heat outscored Cleveland 27-12 in the fourth quarter to kill the Cavs' faint playoff hopes.
"I'm not a loser. I'll never be a loser," James said. "It's hard, it's frustrating when we're playing hard and we lose."
Leaders
James led Cleveland with 24 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. The Cavs committed 18 turnovers, eight by James.
Miami had six players in double figures. Brian Grant had 19 points, Lamar Odom 18 and Eddie Jones 15.
Cleveland, which has lost eight straight and 12 of 13, was without point guard Jeff McInnis, who sat out with a sprained left ankle, and Eric Williams, who is on the injured list.
"If we had our full team and we were reaching this point, I'd be sorely disappointed," Cleveland coach Paul Silas said. "But being short-handed, it was kind of inevitable."
Miami used 6-foot-7 forward Caron Butler on the 6-8 James for much of the game, but that didn't hinder James from reaching the basket and drawing fouls. James went 11-of-15 from the foul line.
Pulling away
Odom scored five straight points to give the Heat a 92-86 lead with 6:23 left, and they never faltered.
"We've come back so many times, we always think we can do it on the offensive end of the floor, but at some point that's all going to run out," Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said.
James sparked the Cavs, who trailed 50-46 at halftime, with 11 points in the third quarter.
Cleveland led 64-60 with 5:06 left in the third when James got his own rebound off a missed foul shot, put back the rebound and was fouled. His foul shot gave the Cavs an eight-point lead.
Miami narrowed it to 74-72 with 2:06 left in the third quarter on two foul shots by Rafer Alston.
Alston's first quarter 3-pointer gave him an NBA-high 45 straight games with at least one shot made from beyond the arc. He finished with 16 points.
Miami led 50-46 after a back-and-forth first half, with Jones leading the way with 15 points and Wade adding nine points and five assists.
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