The playoff-hopeful Philadelphia 76ers aim to get back on track Sunday when they host a Sacramento Kings team that has been playing the spoiler role on a five-game road trip.
The Sixers, who are currently the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race, faltered in Miami on Friday when Dwyane Wade scored 39 points and LeBron James added 32 as the Heat pulled away for a 111-99 victory over Philadelphia in a late-season preview of a potential playoff series.
Chris Bosh scored 20, giving Miami's three stars 91 of the team's 111 points.
"That's tough to beat," said Philadelphia head coach Doug Collins.
Still, it took a 34-17 fourth quarter for the Heat to knock off the pesky 76ers for their seventh win in eight games.
Lou Williams was a spark off the bench for Philadelphia, scoring a team-best 24 points in less than 25 minutes. Thaddeus Young had 15 points, also off the bench, but the Sixers fell for the second time in three games.
If the regular season had ended Friday, the third-seeded Heat and sixth-seeded Sixers would meet in the first round of the playoffs.
"They just had another gear," said Collins.
The Kings, meanwhile, are coming off a Friday win in Indianapolis when rookie DeMarcus Cousins scored 18 points with 14 rebounds as Sacramento handled the Indiana Pacers, 110-93, at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Francisco Garcia and ex-Sixer Samuel Dalembert both finished with 16 points, with Dalembert grabbing 10 boards. Marcus Thornton and Donte Greene added 15 points apiece for Sacramento, which got 12 points and six assists from Beno Udrih.
Tyreke Evans, a Chester, PA native who had been out of the Kings lineup since February 13 with plantar fasciitis, finished with six points and eight assists in just over 17 minutes.
The Kings improved to 3-1 on a five-game road trip that ends Sunday in Philadelphia.
"I thought (Cousins) set the tone with his quickness and aggressiveness," Kings coach Paul Westphal said. "I think we've got a good young team and we're learning lessons and learning how to win."
The Sixers have won six straight over Sacramento and will be shooting to sweep the home-and-home season series for a third straight campaign.
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