Bucks overcome LeBron’s big night, beat Heat again

MILWAUKEE – Brandon Jennings scored 31 points, including three three-pointers in a critical stretch of the fourth quarter, and Milwaukee beat Miami, 105-97, on Wednesday night for the Bucks’ second win against the Heat this season.

Jennings also had eight assists, and Drew Gooden added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Bucks, who have won three straight.

LeBron James scored a season-high 40 points, including a highlight-reel windmill dunk at the end of his huge first quarter. James had 24 points in the first quarter, the most points any player has scored in a quarter this season, according to STATS LLC.

Dwyane Wade added 23 points for the Heat, but it wasn’t enough to beat a Bucks team that also recently knocked off the Los Angeles Lakers.

Bucks fans chanted “overrated” in the final minutes of the game.

Thunder 95, Mavericks 86: At Dallas, Russell Westbrook scored 33 points, Kevin Durant added 23 points and 13 rebounds, and Oklahoma City beat Dallas.

James Harden had 10 points off the bench and Serge Ibaka anchored the Thunder defense with a career-high 10 blocked shots.

Suns 120, Hornets 103: At New Orleans, Steve Nash had a season-high 30 points and 10 assists, and Phoenix defeated New Orleans.

Nash became the Suns’ all-time assists leader with 6,522, surpassing Kevin Johnson’s mark of 6,518.

Pacers 109, Timberwolves 99: At Minneapolis, Danny Granger scored 29 of his 36 points in the second half to help Indiana blow by Minnesota.

Granger also grabbed seven rebounds and hit 5 of 8 from three-point range, and Darren Collison thoroughly outplayed Ricky Rubio with 20 points, nine assists and six rebounds for the Pacers, who topped 100 points for only the second time this season.

Nets 99, Pistons 96: At Newark, N.J., Deron Williams scored 26 points to help New Jersey beat Detroit.

Kris Humphries had 18 points, Jordan Farmar added 15 and Shawne Williams 15 for the Nets.

Magic 109, Wizards 103: At Orlando, Fla., Ryan Anderson scored 23 points, including six three-pointers, to help Orlando snap a four-game losing streak with a victory over Washington.

Dwight Howard and J.J. Redick added 21 points each for Orlando, which beat Washington for the eighth straight time.