Miami 99, Washington 71

Heat 99, Wizards 71: LeBron James scored 24 points and Chris Bosh added 17 and nine rebounds as host Miami easily dispatched Washington.

Ray Allen had 20 points off the bench and Dwyane Wade scored 14 for the Heat, who turned in their best defensive effort in weeks by holding the Wizards to 35.8 percent from the field.

Kevin Seraphin scored 14 points and Cartier Martin chipped in 13 for Washington, which failed to score in the final 7:06 of the fourth quarter as the game turned into a rout.

Miami jumped out in front early, opening the contest with a 13-3 run and never trailing. The Wizards would draw back to within 17-15, but the Heat got five points from James and a 3-pointer from Allen during a burst to end the period and spread it out to 27-19 after one.

Washington never got closer than five points in the second or third quarters and trailed 78-71 with 7:07 left when Miami went into its finishing kick. The Heat called a timeout and put James back in the game, immediately sparking a closing 21-0 run.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Heat had dropped three of their previous five games and had surrendered an average of 105.6 points in the five contests. … James has scored at least 20 points in each of the first 32 games of the season - the longest-such streak since George Gervin opened the 1981-82 season with 45 straight. … Washington’s bench outscored the starters 42-29.

• Miami will play their next game on the road against Indiana. The Heat have a W/L % of .682 after a win and .800 after a loss.
• Washington will play their next game at home against Oklahoma City. The Wizards have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .143 after a loss.