NEW YORK - LeBron James scored 12 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter to lead defending NBA champions Miami past New York 99-93 on Sunday as the Heat matched its record win streak with a 14th victory in a row.
James also contributed 11 assists and seven rebounds and his steal and fast break slam dunk with 23 seconds remaining provided a final exclamation point for a Miami squad that lost twice to the Knicks already this season.
"We showed we cam play with them," James said. "We can play with anybody, the best in the East and the West."
The Heat trailed by as much as 16 points in the first half and 59-45 at half-time before rallying to keep the Knicks to only 34 points in the second half -- three fewer than New York managed in the second quarter alone.
"We had a lot of adversity but we were able to stick through the rough patches and get a well-needed win on the road," James said. "We came out with a sense of urgency going into the second half."
The Heat matched the club record win streak, set in the 2004-05 season, and their current run is the second-longest win streak in the NBA this season to a 17-game run by the Los Angeles Clippers.
Dwyane Wade added 20 points for Miami while Chris Bosh contributed 16, 14 of them in the second half.