Fatigued Heat hold on

Wade, O'Neal power Miami past 76ers

? The legs got weary at the end, a byproduct of playing four games in five nights. Yet by the time fatigue set in, the Miami Heat had such a big lead that their latest winning streak never was in jeopardy.

Dwyane Wade scored 32 points, Shaquille O’Neal added 25, and Miami shot 68.6 percent in the first half on the way to beating the Philadelphia 76ers, 108-100, Monday night — the Heat’s sixth straight win and 10th in a row at home.

“We just have to worry about what we’re supposed to worry about and keep beating the teams we’re supposed to beat,” O’Neal said. “Keep winning at home, and keep staying above .500 on the road. If we do those things, then by that formula itself things will work out.”

Wade made 18 free throws to set a franchise record; he went to the line 23 times. Shandon Anderson added 13 points, and Udonis Haslem had a 12-point, 10-rebound night for Miami (46-16), which has an eight-game lead over Detroit in the Eastern Conference and an 11-game edge over Washington in the Southeast Division.

Over the four-game, five-night stretch, Miami won by an average of 16.3 points.

“It doesn’t feel easy, I’ll tell you that,” Wade said. “Right now, we’re all playing together. Everyone’s touching the ball. Everyone’s happy playing with each other and if it looks easy, it’s because of that.”

Allen Iverson, who missed the morning shootaround, scored 27 points on 8-for-19 shooting for Philadelphia, which saw its two-game winning streak end. Samuel Dalembert added 21 points for the 76ers, who got only 10 points in 26 minutes from Chris Webber.

“We clearly didn’t have what it takes to win tonight against a quality team,” said Philadelphia coach Jim O’Brien, whose club fell a half-game behind Indiana in the chase for the East’s eighth and final playoff spot.

Wade and O’Neal scored 26 of Miami’s 28 third-quarter points and helped the Heat build a 22-point margin in the period. Willie Green had six late points to draw Philadelphia (28-30) within eight, but the 76ers got no closer.

Philadelphia outscored Miami 29-17 in the fourth quarter, holding the Heat to 30.8-percent shooting, outrebounding them 10-8 and forcing four turnovers. But by then, the Heat’s struggles were irrelevant — and the team gets a deserved break from practice today.

Miami's Dwyane Wade (3) shoots despite the defense of Philadelphia's Willie Green. Wade helped lift the Heat to a 108-100 victory Monday in Miami.

“I’m sleeping until noon, then getting up, having lunch and taking a nap,” Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said. “Obviously, I was really happy tonight.”

Bulls 90, Bucks 85

Chicago — Kirk Hinrich scored 12 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, and Chicago held off Milwaukee for its 30th victory, tying the Bulls’ most in a season since they won their sixth championship in 1997-98.

Eddy Curry added 16 points for Chicago. Michael Redd led Milwaukee with 26.

Mavericks 113, Raptors 105

Dallas — Marquis Daniels had a season-high 32 points, and Jason Terry added 23 to help Dallas win without Dirk Nowitzki.

Nowitzki, averaging 26.9 points and 10.1 rebounds, missed his second straight game because of a bruised left knee. Dallas also played without the injured Michael Finley, Erick Dampier and Jerry Stackhouse.

Josh Howard added 22 points and eight rebounds, and Keith Van Horn, subbing for Nowitzki, had 19 points. Morris Peterson led Toronto with 23 points.

Nuggets 111, Trail Blazers 98

Denver — Carmelo Anthony had 23 points before sitting out the fourth quarter, and Denver won its seventh straight, the Nuggets’ longest streak in 16 years.

Denver is 14-4 under coach George Karl, has won eight straight home games and has made up 61/2 games on the Los Angeles Lakers in a little more than a month to tie for eighth in the West. Damon Stoudamire led Portland with 24 points.

Grizzlies 105, Clippers 102

Los Angeles — Lorenzen Wright scored 23 points, Brian Cardinal had 20, and Memphis nearly blew a 13-point lead in the final 2:17 before beating Los Angeles for its fourth straight victory. Corey Maggette scored 37 points for the Clippers.