Miami’s Dwayne Wade and Wayne Ellington celebrate in their game against New York. | AP photo
NEW YORK — Wayne Ellington scored each of his 19 points in the second half, and the Miami Heat handed the New York Knicks their ninth straight loss with a 106-97 victory on Sunday night.
Miami had seven players score in double figures in its second straight win. Dwyane Wade had 15 points and 10 assists, and Hassan Whiteside finished with 13 points and 16 rebounds.
Wade, who plans to retire at the end of the season, received a standing ovation from the Madison Square Garden crowd when he was taken out in the final seconds.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 22 points for New York, and Trey Burke had 16. The Knicks have dropped 17 of 18 overall.
Former Knicks star Carmelo Anthony watched from a courtside seat and waved to the cheering crowd when he was acknowledged on the scoreboard in the first quarter.
Anthony, a Brooklyn native who played for New York for seven seasons, was traded from Houston to Chicago last week.
The Bulls have no plans to play Anthony and are looking to either trade the 10-time All-Star before the Feb. 7 deadline or ultimately waive him and make him a free agent.
The Knicks trailed 85-72 before putting together an 18-5 run. Hardaway’s 3-pointer tied it at 90 with 4:01 left.
Miami then regained control with a 10-2 spurt. Whiteside started the decisive sequence with a tiebreaking layup, and Ellington’s 3 made it 100-92 with 1:08 left.
James Johnson also scored 13 points for the Heat, and Josh Richardson finished with 12. Justise Winslow and Kelly Olynyk each had 11 points.