Heat thump Bulls, clinch East’s top seed

The road to the NBA Finals will go through Miami.

Dwyane Wade matched his career-high with 39 points and the Heat easily overcame Shaquille O’Neal’s absence in beating the Chicago Bulls 104-86 on Tuesday night in Miami, a win that assured the Heat the No. 1 seed and homecourt advantage for the Eastern Conference playoffs. O’Neal missed the game with a stomach ailment.

Udonis Haslem added 16 points and 15 rebounds before being ejected late for Miami, which has won 18 straight games at home — the league’s longest run since Sacramento won that many three seasons ago. The last East team to win at least 18 straight at home was Indiana, back in the 1999-2000 season.

Chicago was seeking its first 10-game win streak since Michael Jordan’s final championship season seven years ago.

Nuggets 94, Grizzlies 91: At Memphis, Tenn., Carmelo Anthony scored 24 points and Kenyon Martin added 20 as Denver took over seventh place in the Western Conference playoff race with a victory over the Grizzlies. The loss drops Memphis into the eighth and final playoff spot.

Nets 111, Cavaliers 80: At Cleveland, Vince Carter scored 27 points and New Jersey continued its push for a playoff berth with a rout of the Cavaliers.

Pacers 97, Knicks 79: At New York, Stephen Jackson celebrated his birthday by scoring 33 points and Indiana beat New York despite a poor shooting night from Reggie Miller in his final appearance at Madison Square Garden.

Mavericks 114, Magic 105: At Dallas, Erick Dampier scored 16 points in his first start since returning from a long stay on the injured list, helping the Mavericks beat Orlando and secure their fifth straight 50-win season.

Celtics 116, Wizards 108: At Washington, Boston blew a 16-point lead but closed with a 21-12 run to beat the Wizards behind 25 points from Paul Pierce.

Clippers 104, Bobcats 102: At Charlotte, N.C., Shaun Livingston made a 14-foot jumper with 1 second to play to lead Los Angeles to a victory over the Bobcats.

Hornets 96, Hawks 86: At Atlanta, Lee Nailon scored 19 points and New Orleans beat the Hawks, extending Atlanta’s losing streak to 13 games.

Warriors 122, Rockets 117: At Oakland, Calif., Baron Davis scored 17 of his career-high 40 points in the third quarter and handed out 13 assists as Golden State beat Houston for its sixth straight victory.

Suns 125, Lakers 99: At Phoenix, Quentin Richardson scored 25 points and hit seven of the Suns’ team-record 17 3-pointers as Phoenix beat Los Angeles for its sixth straight win. The loss knocked the Lakers out of the playoffs for the first time in 11 years.

Jazz 90, Trail Blazers 79: At Salt Lake City, Matt Harpring had 17 points and seven rebounds and Utah ended a three-game losing streak by handing Portland its fifth straight loss.

Around the league

Former All-Star forward Glenn Robinson signed a free-agent contract with the San Antonio Spurs. … The Los Angeles Lakers placed center Chris Mihm on the injured list because of a sprained right ankle, and activated center Vlade Divac. … A few weeks after taking over as coach of the Dallas Mavericks, Avery Johnson has agreed to a contract that keeps him in charge the next four seasons.