Elise Amendola/Associated Press
San Antonio's Tim Duncan successfully defends against Boston's Paul Pierce's last-second shot for the Spurs' win.
MIAMI -- If Miami vs. Oklahoma City is what the NBA Finals are going to look like, then June can't get here fast enough.
For now, the Heat will have to settle for racking up home victories, including Wednesday night's decision over the Thunder at AmericanAirlines Arena.
The victory extended the Heat's home-winning streak to 17, one off the franchise record, and took the sting off the blowout loss two Sundays ago in Oklahoma City.
LeBron James, coming off Tuesday's 41-point performance against the Philadelphia 76ers, got the best of the marquee matchup, outscoring Kevin Durant 34-30.
Dwyane Wade, back after missing Tuesday's game with what the Heat termed a bruised left knee, added 19 points.
Russell Westbrook added 28 points for the Thunder, Chris Bosh 12 for the Heat.
The feel of playoff basketball was there from the outset, heightened in the second quarter when Perkins was called for a technical foul for a rugged stop in the paint against Wade and then Westbrook was hit with a flagrant foul for a dangerous takedown of James in transition.
James said at halftime he appreciated there was no ill-will with Westbrook's foul, a high-speed hit that could have potentially left Westbrook ejected.
"Playoff basketball," James said. "I know Russ. I don't think he's a dirty player."
James and Durant, the apparent front-runners for NBA Most Valuable Player, dueled throughout the first half, James scoring 23 in the opening two periods, Durant 15. The Thunder trailed by only one at the break despite Westbrook shooting 4 of 15 in the first half.
It was James' 10th 20-point half of the season, and the fifth time he has had a 20-point first half.
The Thunder entered having won four of the previous five meetings and three of their previous four visits. Oklahoma City had been idle since Monday's home loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Pacers 109, Wizards 96
WASHINGTON -- Danny Granger scored 20 points, and Indiana won their third straight by shooting a season-high 58 percent in a victory over Washington.
Darren Collison added 17 points and 11 assists, Tyler Hansbrough and Leandro Barbosa scored 14 points apiece, and Roy Hibbert had 13 points for the Pacers, who have won eight of 11 to move into third place in the Eastern Conference.
Raptors 99, 76ers 78
PHILADELPHIA -- Andrea Bargnani scored 24 points and DeMar DeRozan had 18 to lead Toronto to their third straight win over Philadelphia.
Back in January, the Sixers thumped Toronto 97-62 en route to a sizzling 20-9 start. Those days are over for the fading franchise. Elton Brand and Jrue Holiday had 20 points in Philadelphia's eighth loss in the last 12 games.
Hawks 120, Bobcats 93
ATLANTA -- Josh Smith scored 24 points, Jeff Teague added 17 and Atlanta beat woeful Charlotte.
Joe Johnson finished with 16 points for Atlanta, which had lost three of four. Hawks coach Larry Drew rested all of his starters in the fourth quarter.
Spurs 87, Celtics 86
BOSTON -- Tim Duncan had 10 points and 16 rebounds and San Antonio recovered after blowing a 17-point, first-half lead to beat Boston for their ninth consecutive victory.
Duncan also stopped Paul Pierce on the final play, forcing him into a fallaway jumper that bounced off the rim at the buzzer.
Bucks 107, Cavs 98
MILWAUKEE -- Monta Ellis scored 16 of his 30 points in the final 5 minutes, helping Milwaukee fend off a Cleveland team missing Kyrie Irving.
The Bucks have won four of their past five to close within a game of New York for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Warriors 97, Timberwolves 94
MINNEAPOLIS -- David Lee had 31 points and eight rebounds, and Golden State rallied from a 20-point deficit to top reeling Minnesota.
Hornets 94, Nuggets 92
NEW ORLEANS -- Eric Gordon scored 15 points in his first action in three months, capping the performance with two free throws in the final seconds to lift New Orleans to a victory over Denver.
Suns 107, Jazz 105
SALT LAKE CITY -- Steve Nash scored only 13 points but hit two shots in the final 14 seconds and Phoenix won their seventh straight meeting against Utah to jump over the Jazz in the Western Conference playoff race. The Suns (28-26) are in ninth place, a half-game ahead of the Jazz (28-27) and a game behind Denver, which lost Wednesday at New Orleans, and idle Houston. Phoenix also owns the tiebreaker with the Jazz.
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