James scores season-high 51 points in Heat victory

ORLANDO, Florida, Reuters) – LeBron James scored  an NBA season-high 51 points on Thursday as the Miami Heat  topped the Orlando Magic 104-100 and closed in on the Boston  Celtics for first place in the Eastern Conference.
It marked the ninth 50-point game of James’s eight seasons  in the NBA and eclipsed the previous 2010-11 season high of 47  points set last month by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin  Durant and Los Angeles Clippers rookie Blake Griffin.

The two-times reigning NBA Most Valuable Player, who scored  23 of Miami’s 30 first-quarter points, also added 11 rebounds  and eight assists as the Heat moved to within 2-1/2 games of the  Celtics.