LeBron, Wade lead Heat past Pelicans

Miami: LeBron James scored 32 points and Dwyane Wade added 22 points, eight rebounds and eight assists Tuesday to lead the reigning NBA champion Miami Heat over New Orleans 107-88.

Eight days after his 29th birthday, the NBA`s four-time Most Valuable Player once again sparked Miami to victory while Chris Bosh added 12 points and Ray Allen contributed 11. The host Heat trailed 49-43 at half-time but outscored the Pelicans 64-39 in the second half. Reserve Chris Andersen added 15 points on 7-of-7 shooting for the Heat, who were without injured starters Mario Chalmers and Shane Battier. Miami improved to 27-8, second only to the Indiana Pacers (28-6) in the Eastern Conference, while the Pelicans fell to 15-18 with their third loss in four games. Anthony Davis had 22 points and 12 rebounds in a losing cause, while Eric Gordon added 15 points and Tyreke Evans contributed 13.