NEW YORK — Mikal Bridges scored a career-high 45 points, including 15 in a row for Brooklyn to break open a game that had been close for 3 1/2 quarters, and the Nets beat the Miami Heat 116-105 on Wednesday night in the final game for both teams before the All-Star break.

In his third game since coming from Phoenix in the trade for Kevin Durant, Bridges had an electrifying scoring stretch that could even match Durant. The Nets led only 90-89 before he went to work with an array of drives, 3-pointers and jumpers over the next three minutes.

That pushed the lead to nine and when another Nets player finally scored, it was a 3-pointer by fellow newcomer Cam Johnson that pushed it to 108-96.

Bridges scored 17 points in the final quarter to blow by his previous career best of 34 points. He was 17 of 24 from the field, 4 of 6 on 3s and 7 of 7 at the line, and also had eight rebounds and five assists.

Bam Adebayo had 24 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for the Heat. Max Strus scored 18 points.

KNICKS 122, HAWKS 101: Jalen Brunson scored 28 points, Julius Randle added 25 and visiting New York won its third straight.

The Knicks never trailed, building a 24-point lead in the first half and leading by double digits for the final 42 minutes of the game.

76ERS 118, CAVALIERS 112: Joel Embiid scored 29 points – including the 10,000th of his career – and Philadelphia survived a rocky second half to beat visiting Cleveland.

James Harden added 19 points and 12 assists to help send the 76ers into the All-Star break with their fourth straight victory. De’Anthony Melton added 18 points, and Tyrese Maxey had 16.

Donovan Mitchell had 33 points – including 25 in the second half – for the Cavaliers. They had won seven straight.

HORNETS 120, SPURS 110: LaMelo Ball had 28 points, 10 assists and a season-high 12 rebounds and Charlotte handed visiting San Antonio its 14th straight loss.

PACERS 117, BULLS 113: Buddy Hield made six 3-pointers in the second half and finished with 27 points, helping Indiana rally from a 24-point deficit after the first quarter to top visiting Chicago.

Tyrese Haliburton banked in a 9-foot shot for a 113-112 lead in the final minute, Myles Turner sank two free throws and Hield closed it out with a pair of foul shots with 7.1 seconds remaining as the Pacers snapped a five-game skid.

NOTES

MAVERICKS: Guard Kyrie Irving was ruled out Wednesday night against the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets due to tightness in his lower back.

Coach Jason Kidd didn’t elaborate pregame what happened with Irving, only saying that, “It happens. Could have been from a fall in that game the other night.”

Kidd thought Irving would participate in the All-Star Game this weekend in Salt Lake City.

ALL-STAR GAME: Utah native and Grammy nominee Jewel, along with Post Malone and actors Vin Diesel and Ben Affleck, will be among the performers at this weekend’s NBA All-Star events in Salt Lake City.

Jewel will perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the All-Star Game on Sunday, Diesel will be welcoming fans and Post Malone will perform a medley after LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo draft their teams for the game.

The halftime show will feature three Nigerian artists – Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and producer Burna Boy, Grammy-winning and Oscar-nominated singer Tems and rapper Rema – doing an Afrobeats-themed performance.

Once the halftime show ends, the NBA will host a celebration commemorating James passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar earlier this month to become the league’s career scoring leader.

Jully Black will sing the Canadian national anthem before the game.

Affleck, who stars in the upcoming film “Air” – the story about how Sonny Vaccaro signed Michael Jordan to a Nike deal – will introduce the teams before the All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday night.

Utah-based group The Bonner Family will perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the Rising Stars game on Friday, then again on Saturday – along with “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” sometimes referred to as the Black national anthem – at the NBA HBCU Classic college basketball game between Southern and Grambling State.

CAVALIERS: Danny Green rejoined Cleveland’s roster after agreeing to a one-year, $2 million contract with the Cavaliers, who believe the three-time NBA champion can help them in the postseason.

Green, who was drafted by Cleveland in 2009 and waived after one season, gives the team another proven outside shooter. More importantly, he’s a selfless teammate expected to blend in nicely with a young team looking to make its mark in the playoffs.

After tearing a knee ligament during last year’s playoffs while with the 76ers, the 35-year-old Green played in just three games for Memphis this season before being traded last week to Houston. The Rockets bought out his contract, making him a free agent, and the Cavaliers lured him away over several other interested contenders.

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