LeBron faces former Miami teammates

(SportsNetwork.com) - LeBron James will once again see his former teammates on Wednesday when his Cleveland Cavaliers host the Miami Heat at Quicken Loans Arena.

James returned to South Beach after spurning the Heat as a free agent in the offseason on Christmas Day and the Heat rose to the occasion. Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 31 points and Miami prevailed, 101-91.

The scene shifts to Cleveland on Wednesday without key actors in the play.

Wade has been sidelined with a hamstring issue and won't play.

The Cavaliers are in the midst of one of their best runs of the season. Cleveland has won 13 of its last 14 and nine in a row at the Q.

After losing in Indiana on Friday to halt a 12-game winning streak, the Cavs demolished the Los Angeles Lakers, 120-105, Sunday in Cleveland.

Kevin Love had arguably his best game in a Cavaliers uniform on Sunday, scoring a season-high 32 points. He shot 7-of-8 from the perimeter and pulled down 10 rebounds to match double-doubles recorded by James and Kyrie Irving.

"I love Kevin Love as a basketball player. His contributions for us are vital to our success," Cavaliers head coach David Blatt said.

James totaled 22 points, 10 boards and eight assists, while Irving scored 28 points and handed out 10 assists in Cleveland's victory.

The Cavs have one more game before the All-Star break when they take on the Bulls in Chicago on Thursday. That kicks off a four-game road trip with stops scheduled in Washington, New York and Detroit.

The Heat snapped a three-game losing streak on Monday with a 109-95 home victory over the New York Knicks. They had dropped two straight in South Beach prior to the win on Monday.

Chris Bosh posted 32 points and six assists to lead the Heat.

Mario Chalmers had 18 points, six assists and five rebounds while Norris Cole and Luol Deng scored 12 points apiece.

Bosh scored Miami's first seven points of the fourth quarter and put the game away at 4:18 with a deep triple. He then put the finishing touches on his terrific night with an elbow jumper on the next possession to push the lead to 98-84.

"We just made simple plays," said Bosh.

Miami was without Wade for the sixth straight game. Wade has been sidelined with a strained right hamstring and pulled out of the All-Star game Sunday.

The Heat will visit the Knicks after the break.

Miami has won 11 straight in this series and 14 of the last 15, dating back to 2011. The Heat have taken five in a row at the Q.