NBA: Heat handle Cavs, Embiid returns

Tyler Herro scored 34 points and led a strong shooting effort that carried the Miami Heat to a 122-113 win over the NBA-leading Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.

The Heat earned a season-high third straight win and dealt Cleveland (21-4) just its fourth defeat of the season mainly behind its backcourt duo of Herro and Duncan Robinson. Herro went 5 of 9 from 3-point range while dishing out seven assists, while Robinson was 4 of 6 from beyond the arc and 7 of 11 from the field in delivering a season-best 23 points.

Miami also received 18 points from Jimmy Butler and a 16-point, 13-rebound, six-assist performance from Bam Adebayo.

The Cavaliers had a four-game winning streak halted and played the entire second half without key forward Evan Mobley, who exited in the second quarter with a sprained ankle.

Top scorer Donovan Mitchell also struggled, going 5 of 16 from the field while being held to 12 points. Darius Garland led Cleveland with 23 points.

The Cavaliers held a 25-21 lead after one quarter before the Heat took control in the second, outscoring Cleveland by a 38-26 margin for the period. Herro accounted for 11 of those points to help Miami take a 59-51 advantage into half-time.

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Miami remained in front the entire second half after opening the third quarter on a 9-2 run in which Robinson drained a pair of 3-pointers and Herro had one of his own.

Embiid's return sparks 76ers' win over Bulls

Sparked by Joel Embiid's return to the court and a triple-double from Tyrese Maxey, the Philadelphia 76ers continued their recent strong play with a 108-100 win over the Chicago Bulls.

Making just his fifth appearance of the season and first since Nov. 20, Embiid tallied 31 points and 12 rebounds while playing 33 minutes on his often-troublesome left knee. Maxey, meanwhile, posted his first career triple-double by compiling 25 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists to help Philadelphia overcome a 33-23 deficit after one quarter.

The 76ers have now won four of five following a dreadful 3-14 start that featured long absences from both Embiid and perennial All-Star Paul George.

Zach LaVine had 30 points for the Bulls, but no other Chicago player scored more than 13 in the team's second straight defeat. Josh Giddey finished with 11 assists in the loss.

LaVine's 10 points carried Chicago to a 10-point lead after one quarter, but the Bulls shot just 25 per cent in the second as the 76ers dominated the period.

Philadelphia outscored the Bulls by a 39-17 margin while shooting 64 per cent for the quarter, with Embiid leading the way with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting. The 76ers built a lead as large as 14 points in the first half before heading into the break with a 62-50 advantage.

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The Bulls cut a 19-point second-half deficit down to four when LaVine's 3-pointer with 5:24 remaining brought them within 96-92. The 76ers answered with an 8-3 surge, however, to go up 104-95 on Maxey's layup with 1:37 left.

Jokic puts up 48 points as Nuggets end Hawks' win streak

Nikola Jokić amassed 48 points in a second straight monster performance that allowed the Denver Nuggets to cool off the Atlanta Hawks with a 141-111 rout.

One night after recording a career-high 56 points in Denver's stunning loss to the lowly Washington Wizards, Jokic went 17 of 29 from the field while adding 14 rebounds and eight assists to help stop the Nuggets' two-game slide.

The Hawks entered the contest on a season-high six-game winning streak, but trailed from start to finish as the Nuggets shot a season-best 62.9 per cent from the field.

Denver also received a big game from Michael Porter Jr., who scored 26 points on 12-of-17 shooting along with seven rebounds.

De'Andre Hunter led Atlanta with 20 points. Dyson Daniels had 18 for the Hawks, while Trae Young finished with 15 points and 10 assists.

Jokic asserted himself right from the start, as the reigning NBA MVP had 13 points and seven rebounds during a first quarter in which the Nuggets outscored Atlanta by a 38-23 margin.

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Denver continued to pour it on in the second quarter, building a commanding 71-48 advantage at the break behind Jokic's 25 points and 17 from Porter.

The Hawks never got the deficit under 16 points in the second half, with the Nuggets' lead getting as high as 32 points in the fourth quarter.