Miami, FL – The showdown between LeBron James and Kobe Bryant sided Thursday, with the former filling the stat sheet to 87 victory over the Lakers.
James, after missing the pregame shootaround with flu-like symptoms, poured in 31 points to go with eight assists, eight rebounds, four steals and thee blocks.
Bryant shot just 8-of-21 from the field and logged 24 points, 11 coming in the final 3:02 after the outcome had essentially been decided.
Chris Bosh contributed 15 points and eight boards for Heat, who have won back- to-back games on the heels of a three-game slide despite being without Dwyane Wade (ankle).
Pau Gasol totaled 26 points and eight rebounds, while Andrew Bynum had 15 and 12 in defeat.
