Miami ? Shaquille O’Neal expected the Miami Heat to endure some growing pains during the early portion of the season, as new teammates got used to each other’s nuances.

The Heat’s trip along the learning curve might be over.

Dwyane Wade scored 25 points, and O’Neal turned in a 20-point, 11-rebound, seven-assist effort as Miami won its seventh straight game, 107-100, Friday night over the Denver Nuggets — who lost forward Carmelo Anthony because of a sprained ankle, yet still nearly rallied from a 15-point hole in the final five minutes.

O’Neal’s assist total was a season-high, and two off his career-best.

He continually drew double-teams and simply waited for an uncovered teammate to head toward the basket for either a layup or dunk.

“The true definition of a great player is how you make the other guys around you,” O’Neal said. “When there’s two guys on me, other guys are closer to the basket for high-percentage shots, and I’m going to hit them every time. That’s just playing good team basketball — something a lot of people in this league don’t do.

“I don’t have to say names.”

The presumed jab at former teammate Kobe Bryant indicates that O’Neal is eager for his Christmas Day return to Los Angeles and the anticipated matchup against the Lakers, but Miami’s winning streak also shows that the Heat aren’t looking ahead to any opponent.

The current run is the franchise’s best since a 10-game streak in the 1997-98 season.

“We were the last team to beat them, so I know they were highly motivated,” Denver coach Jeff Bzdelik said. “We expected that. When you play a really good team in a really tough environment and you dig yourself a hole, that is tough to overcome.”

Anthony finished with 14 points in 29 minutes, leaving late in the third quarter after missing a layup and landing on O’Neal’s foot.

He rolled his left ankle and remained down on the court for about two minutes before being helped to the locker room for X-rays — which revealed no break.

Celtics 114, Jazz 106

Boston — Gary Payton scored a season-high 27 points and added 11 assists, leading Boston past Utah. The Celtics hit 56 percent of their shots to take a 58-40 lead at halftime.

Wizards 120 Lakers 116, OT

Los Angeles — Gilbert Arenas scored 37 points, Larry Hughes had 31, and Washington beat Los Angeles in overtime.

Pacers 89, Raptors 86

Indianapolis — Jamaal Tinsley scored 17 of his 22 points in the second half, leading Indiana over Toronto. Rookie center David Harrison added a career-high 22 points and had seven rebounds, and Jeff Foster had 10 points and 18 rebounds for the Pacers, who won their second straight after a seven-game losing streak.

Grizzlies 89, Nets 84

Memphis, Tenn. — Jason Williams had a season-high 27 points and six assists to lead Memphis over New Jersey, which was short-handed after its earlier trade for Vince Carter.

Spurs 83, Hornets 67

New Orleans — Tim Duncan had 19 points and 12 rebounds, leading San Antonio to its third straight victory. Rookie Beno Udrih scored 12 points in 18 minutes, and Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker each added 10 points for the Spurs, who won for the 11th time in 13 games.

Rockets 100, Warriors 83

Houston — Tracy McGrady had 27 points and nine rebounds, and Yao Ming added 15 points and a season-high 17 rebounds for Houston. Bob Sura just missed a triple-double with 24 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.

T’wolves 113, Clippers 86

Minneapolis — Wally Szczerbiak scored a season-high 29 points, including 11 in the third quarter, and Minnesota defeated Los Angeles.

Suns 112, Sonics 110

Seattle — Joe Johnson had 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Steve Nash and Shawn Marion each scored 21 as Phoenix beat Seattle in a showdown between the NBA’s top two teams. Amare Stoudemire added 20 points and nine rebounds for Phoenix, which became the first club to win 20 games this season.

Blazers 100, Hawks 84

Atlanta — Zach Randolph scored 23 points, and Darius Miles added 20. Derek Anderson contributed 15 points for Portland, which broke a two-game losing streak. Rookie Josh Smith led the Hawks with 14 points, matching his career high.

Knicks 113, 76ers 107, OT

Philadelphia — Allan Houston hit the tying three-pointer with 0.4 seconds left in regulation, Kurt Thomas scored six points in overtime, and New York rallied from a 19-point deficit to beat Philadelphia.