NEWS » or top ten in defence, and thats not

MIAMI -- In the third quarter, LeBron James lost his headband and turned his left ankle. Fausse Balenciaga a Vendre . Neither slowed him for long. James finished with 30 points, nine rebounds and nine assists despite getting an extended break after tweaking the ankle, Dwyane Wade added 27 points and the Miami Heat beat the Utah Jazz 117-94 on Monday night. It was the best shooting night in team history, Miami connecting on 63.4 per cent of its shots. James led the way, making 13 of 17 attempts. "Im excited I could go back out there, make some plays and finish the game off," James said. "But I know in the morning, when I wake up, its going to be pretty sore." Chris Bosh scored 20 points for the Heat, who moved within two games of Indiana for the East lead. Miami hosts the Pacers on Wednesday. Alec Burks scored a career-high 31 points for Utah, which got 17 from Derrick Favours. "We didnt match their intensity in the second half," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. "Give them credit. They know what it takes to get themselves out of holes." It was Miamis 17th straight victory over a Western Conference opponent, the second-longest regular-season streak by an Eastern Conference team in NBA history. Boston won 20 straight over the West during a nine-month span of 1973. A game in December pitting the two-time defending champions against the team with the worst record in the West wouldnt seem all that likely to conjure some NBA Finals memories. Then James lost his headband, and once again, everything started to click for the Heat. Just like in Game 6 of the Finals against San Antonio this past June, when James had his terrycloth accessory knocked to the court, something just seemed to change about his game. Miami was up only three points when James went without the headband, and the lead was up to 13 later in the quarter. Miami outscored Utah 36-21 in the third. The Heat had been outscored 56-33 in their two most recent third quarters combined. "The guys have owned that, addressed it, came out with great activity, but also offensively, very aggressive in that third quarter," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "The last two games we settled, less energy that we brought to that quarter offensively, less patience." James left late in the third quarter after twisting his ankle on a dribble about 30 feet from the basket. After re-lacing his sneaker -- his typical self-inflicted treatment for ankle twists -- he wound up getting subbed out a few seconds later. He walked off the court slowly, took a seat on the floor near the Heat bench and smacked his hand on the hardwood with such anger that the hit could be heard halfway up the arena. "He does it once a year," Bosh said. "This is his time. Its usually in December, too. Got that out of the way and now we can keep moving on." During the stoppage between the third and fourth quarters, James didnt even get up to join his teammates at first, remaining down with a towel over his head. He eventually got to his feet, draping the towel around his neck and largely keeping to himself, shrugging his shoulders when Bosh approached to ask him something. But he came in for Wade midway through the fourth, finished the game, and the Heat cruised. Miami shot 68 per cent after halftime. "I didnt feel like we were in that great of a flow," Wade said. "I guess the numbers prove me wrong." Burks made 12 of 17 shots for the Jazz. Enes Kanter had 14 points and eight rebounds for Utah, which led by as many as eight points in the second quarter. The Jazz wound up trailing by as many as 25. "They did what they do," Burks said. "They had fast-break plays and great stops to win the game." Norris Cole scored 13 points and Mario Chalmers finished with 12 for Miami. The clincher came with 3:10 left. James drove right by Burks, threw down a dunk while getting fouled and made the ensuing free throw to get to 30 points and give the Heat a 109-90 lead. All that remained undecided at that point was whether James would get another triple-double. He wouldnt, leaving one rebound and one assist shy -- the second straight game thats happened. It was the eighth time in James career that he finished exactly one rebound and one assist shy of a triple-double. NOTES: Miamis last loss in a regular-season game against a West foe was against Utah, back in January. ... The Jazz had only one starter finish in double figures. ... Jazz rookie Trey Burke shot 1 for 8, scoring a season-low three points. ... Chalmers had eight assists. Yeezy 350 Acheter . Lack replaced an injured Roberto Luongo late in the first period then watched defenceman Chris Tanev score the winning goal midway through the third as the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Jets 2-1 in a tight NHL game. Vente Air Max 270 . "Im proud of him," Jones said in an interview from Sacramento, site of the UFCs weekend televised card. "I think hes listening to his body and hes doing what makes him happy and thats what life is about ultimately. http://www.airmaxpaschervente.fr/destockage-yeezy-350-v2-france.html . Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.DENVER - Unless the nose-diving Denver Nuggets can turn things around, theyll miss the playoff for the first time since 2003, when they got Carmelo Anthony after a 17-65 season. Things have gotten so bad that the Nuggets had to resort to seldom-used reserve Jordan Hamilton running the point during a recent 39-point drubbing at Indiana. Ty Lawson (rib), Nate Robinson (torn ACL) and even Randy Foye (banged knee) were all hurt, and Andre Miller hasnt been around the team since getting into a shouting match with first-year coach Brian Shaw on New Years Day. The Nuggets skidded into the All-Star break on a four-game losing streak, their 10-year playoff streak in serious jeopardy as they stand in 11th place in the Western Conference at 24-27, six games out of the eighth spot. While Lawson is expected back soon, Danilo Gallinari wont be coming to the rescue. The Italian sharpshooter who joined the Nuggets in the blockbuster trade that sent Anthony to New York a few years back, had a major setback in his recovery from a torn left ACL and recently required a second surgery that will sideline him until next season. He blew out his left knee last April and his absence played a big role in another first-round playoff exit after a franchise-best 57-win regular season and the subsequent departure of long-time coach George Karl, part of an exodus that included Andre Iguodala and general manager Masai Ujiri, who was replaced by Tim Connelly. Shaws first season as an NBA head coach has been trying, as evidenced by his spat with Miller, who was initially suspended two games, a punishment that was revoked so he could continue to get paid but which failed to lead to a quick resolution. Throw in the injuries and Shaws had to juggle his depleted lineup. "Ive probably gotten 10 years of experience in this first half of the season," Shaw said. "... In a way, I like to kind of go through everything. Theres a lot worse situations; were just continuing to try to work through it. A lot of guys that wouldnt be gettting opportunities are getting to play now because of the injuries. Air Max Fausse. So its allowing us to evaluate what we really have and discover who can get it done and who cant. "Im learning as I go. Im learning our team as we go. Im not going to make any excuses; it was the hand we were dealt and we just have to continue to work." Its not just a matter of being short-handed, however. "We havent always just taken pride and gotten mad when our man is scoring. We worry more about how many shots were getting and things that are happening on the offensive end, and I want us to have that same kind of excitement about whats going on on the defensive end," he said. Lawsons return to the floor will go a long way in curing some of these ills. "If I was Tys agent Id be smiling and feeling really good right now," Shaw said, "because it just shows how important he is to our team — not only the speed of our team and the ability to help us score, but just organizing things and giving the other guys confidence that they lack with him not being out there." Miller figures to be gone by Thursdays trade deadline as there are plenty of contenders who could use a veteran point guard with a friendly contract, but the only leverage the Nuggets might gain would presumably be if multiple teams come calling. Unless they reverse their recent slide, the Nuggets will be playing out the string for the first time in more than a decade. J.J. Hickson said that turnaround starts on the defensive end. "Offense is not the problem. We know we can score with whomever, even with Ty out," Hickson said. "Thats a big loss for us, but were the type of team that likes to get up and down, so we know that teams cant keep up with us and we like to put pressure on teams. But it all starts with defence. If you look at the top teams in the league, all of them are top five or top ten in defence, and thats not us right now." AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell contributed. ' ' '