MX23RW : Thursday, December 19 13:49:18| >> :600:3948810:3948810:

NBA roundup: Jimmy Butler inspires Miami Heat to victory over Philadelphia 76ers

The 137-106 defeat marked Philadelphia's 18th away loss this season.

Jimmy Butler poured in a season-high 38 points against the team he left last summer to lead the Miami Heat to a 137-106 mauling of the Philadelphia 76ers.

The shooting guard, who spent one season at Philadelphia before leaving as part of a four-team trade deal, was almost unstoppable for the Heat, especially in the second half where Miami outscored the Sixers by 27 points.

Joel Embiid impressed for the Sixers, posting a double-double of 29 points and 12 rebounds, but it was not enough to save his side from a third successive defeat.

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler
Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler shined against his former team (Lynne Sladky/AP)

The loss also continued to highlight Philadelphia's struggles away from home, with the Sixers winning just nine of their 27 road games this season.

The Los Angeles Clippers came back from 15 points down to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 108-105.

Although the Spurs took an early lead with LaMarcus Aldridge (27 points) and Demar DeRozan (26 points) at the fore, a strong team effort from the Clippers at both ends of the court allowed LA to claw their way back into the contest.

The win sees the Clippers pull one game ahead of the Denver Nuggets for second place in the Eastern Conference standings.

A 43-point effort from Bradley Beal was not enough for the Washington Wizards to prevent the struggling Golden State Warriors from securing their first back-to-back victories of 2020.

Alec Burks scored 30 points off the bench for the Warriors in a 125-117 win.

The Boston Celtics downed the Atlanta Hawks 123-115 to claim their fourth successive win.

Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown all topped 20 points as the Celtics ultimately overcame a strong start from the struggling Hawks.

Another starring show from Latvian forward Kristaps Porzingis led the Dallas Mavericks to a  112-103 triumph over the Indiana Pacers.

Porzingis followed up his haul of 35 points and 12 rebounds against Houston in his previous outing with 38 points and 12 rebounds to help Dallas record back-to-back wins.

In the day's other games, the Brooklyn Nets trounced the Phoenix Suns 119-97, the New York Knicks came from behind to secure a 139-134 overtime victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Orlando Magic beat the Charlotte Hornets 112-100, the Memphis Grizzlies ground out a 96-82 win against the Detroit Pistons and the Minnesota Timberwolves fell to the Sacramento Kings 113-109.

ID:388701: cacheID:388701:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:6682:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving (11) moves to the basket against Chicago Bulls forward Chandler Hutchison (15) during the second half at Barclays Center on February 1, 2020
Read Next:
NBA roundup: Kyrie Irving scores 54 points as Brooklyn Nets beat Chicago Bulls
>