In brief: Unlikely hero Hassan Whiteside leads Heat to win over Bulls

NBA: Hassan Whiteside had an unconventional triple-double with a team-record and career-high 12 blocks to go with 14 points and 13 rebounds to help the Miami Heat beat the sluggish Chicago Bulls 96-84 Sunday in Chicago.

“It’s a blessing. Like I told my teammates, you won’t believe how things work out in life,” said Whiteside, who signed with Miami in late November. “Three months ago I was at the downtown Y just chilling, working on my game. I couldn’t get a team to pick up the phone.”

On Sunday, he made the Bulls miserable. His teammates did their part, too.

Dwyane Wade scored 26 points, and Chris Bosh finished with 20.

Luol Deng scored 15 in his return to Chicago. Mario Chalmers had 15 points, and the Heat squashed whatever momentum the Bulls appeared to be building after beating San Antonio and Dallas.

Miami led by 10 at halftime, 12 going into the fourth quarter and remained in control the rest of the way.

Pau Gasol had 13 points and 17 rebounds for Chicago, giving him 50 over the past three games. Derrick Rose scored 19 for Chicago but missed all six 3-pointers.

• Cavs win sixth straight: LeBron James scored 34 points, including the first eight in the fourth quarter, and the host Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-98 for their sixth straight win.

James made a pair of 3-pointers and a nasty fadeaway jumper to give the Cavs a 91-80 lead. Later, the four-time MVP fed Kevin Love for a 3-pointer with 3:38 left that put the Thunder away. The Cavs are now 6-1 since James returned after missing eight games with a strained back and knee.

Love added 19 points and 13 rebounds, Kyrie Irving scored 21 and J. R. Smith had 14. Tristan Thompson grabbed 16 rebounds.

Kevin Durant scored 32 and Russell Westbrook had 22 for the Thunder, who went 3-2 on their longest road trip this season.

Williams, Duke women top rival UNC

Women’s basketball: Elizabeth Williams scored a career-high 33 points to help No. 15 Duke beat No. 12 North Carolina 74-67 in overtime at Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Rebecca Greenwell added 14 points and a career-best 14 rebounds for the Blue Devils (14-6, 5-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who shot just 39 percent but snapped a five-game road losing streak — their longest in two decades.

Williams finished 14 for 25 from the field and carried the load as her team struggled for consistent offense.

The 6-foot-3 senior also had 10 rebounds and four blocks, including one on Latifah Coleman’s layup on the final play of regulation.

Allisha Gray scored 20 points to lead the Tar Heels (17-4, 4-3), who shot just 30 percent and went 5 for 30 from 3-point range.

• UConn rolls to win: Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis scored 12 of her 19 points in the first half, missing only one shot all game, and No. 2 Connecticut rolled to its 17th straight victory, 96-31 at Cincinnati against former Huskies star Jamelle Elliott.

The Huskies (18-1, 8-0 American Athletic) haven’t lost since falling at Stanford 88-86 in overtime on Nov. 17. UConn’s seven wins in January have come by 36, 38, 59, 34, 42, 55 and 65 points.

Mosqueda-Lewis went 7 of 8 from the field, playing only 16 minutes.

Breanna Stewart also had 19 points in 16 minutes.

The Bearcats (5-14, 2-6) fell behind 22-0 and went more than 6 minutes before getting their first basket on a putback. Cincinnati is 0-12 all-time against UConn.

• Rutgers edges Minnesota: Tyler Scaife scored a season-high 28 points, on 12-of-21 shooting, to lead Rutgers past Minnesota 66-61 in Piscataway, New Jersey.

Scaife scored 13 during a 25-2 run that gave Rutgers (14-5, 5-3 Big Ten) its biggest lead, 25-5, midway through the first half.

Amanda Zahui B. led Minnesota (16-4, 5-3) back into the game, scoring 20 of her career-high 36 before halftime and pulling the Golden Gophers within six, 37-31, at the break.

Irish top N.C. State in overtime, 81-78

Men’s basketball: Jerian Grant scored 25 points and blocked a last-second shot that helped No. 8 Notre Dame beat North Carolina State 81-78 in overtime in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Pat Connaughton and V.J. Beachem added 11 points apiece for the Fighting Irish (19-2, 7-1 Atlantic Coast Conference).

They erased an 18-point first-half deficit, rallied in the final minute to force overtime, then made the decisive stop in the extra session to win their fourth straight.

Trevor Lacey scored 13 points and Kyle Washington added 12 for N.C. State (13-8, 4-4), which has lost three of four since upsetting then-No. 2 Duke two weeks ago.

• Buckeyes upset Hoosiers: D’Angelo Russell scored 22 points and added 10 assists, Jae’Sean Tate added a career-high 20 points, and Ohio State defeated No. 23 Indiana 82-70 in Columbus, Ohio.

The Buckeyes (16-5, 5-3 Big Ten) won consecutive games for the first time since wins against in-state foes Miami and Wright State on Dec. 22 and 27, respectively. Indiana (15-5, 5-2) had its four-game winning streak snapped.

Brown wins first U.S. skating title

Winter sports: Jason Brown won his first U.S. figure skating title, holding off Adam Rippon thanks to his big lead after the short program in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Brown finished with 274.98 points to beat Rippon by 2.5. Rippon won the free skate with 187.77.

Joshua Farris, skating last, had a chance to overtake Brown, but one of his triple-jump combinations didn’t count because he did a double toe loop three different times. It was still a successful event for Farris, who finished third to earn a chance to go to the world championships.

Vonn notches 64th World Cup victory: Lindsey Vonn mastered a tricky super-G race for a record-extending 64th World Cup victory.

The American star raced down the Engiadina course in St. Moritz, Switzerland, in 1 minute, 23.55 seconds with only one rival able to finish within a second of her.

Anna Fenninger of Austria was runner-up for a seventh time this season, 0.24 back. Nicole Hosp of Austria was 1.10 behind Vonn in third.

It was Vonn’s 22nd World Cup win in super-G.

• Hargin takes slalom: Mattias Hargin of Sweden won a men’s World Cup slalom for his first career victory.

Third after the opening leg, Hargin used a flawless second run to finish in a total time of 1 minute, 43.10 seconds in Kitzbuehel, Austria.

Ernie Banks died after heart attack

BASEBALL: Chicago Cubs great Ernie Banks died after a heart attack, said an attorney representing the Hall of Famer’s family.

The Cubs and Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office also announced that the statue of Banks that has stood outside Wrigley Field since 2008 will be placed in Chicago’s Daley Plaza this week.