MIAMI -- Hassan Whiteside wanted to be in on the fun.

This improbable, illogical and nearly impossible Miami Heat win streak -- which reached an even 10 games on Saturday night with a 125-102 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers -- has been executed mostly due to gaudy numbers by the backcourt.

But on this night, it was Whiteside who dominated with 30 points, 20 rebounds and three blocks, thrilling the crowd at AmericanAirlines Arena.

"I wanted to put some respect on my name," Whiteside said.

Miami earned respect and also got strong games from its guards: Dion Waiters with 21 points and seven assists; Goran Dragic added 16 points and eight assists; and Tyler Johnson came off the bench to post 16 points and six assists.

But it was Whiteside who set the tone.

"He's been building," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Whiteside. "He's been playing very detailed, coherent, multiple-effort basketball during this whole stretch.

"This was the first time he put together the stats everyone wants to see from him. We were encouraged in previous games when he put up ordinary stats but did everything else at an exceptional level. Tonight, he put it all together."

Whiteside putting it all together is a scary proposition for Heat opponents, considering how well the Dragic-Waiters duo has played throughout this streak. On Saturday, Dragic and Waiters combined to make 7-of-8 on three-pointers, for example.

76ers guard T.J. McConnell said Miami's guards were a big factor yet again.

"They were penetrating past us," McConnell said. "They were getting (Whiteside) the ball, and he was scoring."

Whiteside made 14-of-17 shots and grabbed six of his rebounds on the offensive end, feasting on Philadelphia's leaky interior defense.

The Sixers were again without star post player Joel Embiid. In addition, center Nerlens Noel was limited to 20 minutes, and power forward Jahlil Okafor was a very late scratch due to a knee injury.

"Nerlens came out with the flu," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "And we learned five minutes before game time that Jahlil wasn't going to play.

"That's life in the NBA."

Without their three best big men, the Sixers (18-32) were left with Ersan Ilyasova, who led the team with 21 points, as well as Richaun Holmes and Dario Saric up front.

It wasn't enough, and the Heat (21-30) now have the second-longest win streak in NBA history by a team that is still under .500. The 1996-97 Phoenix Suns set the mark with 11 straight below-.500 victories.

Miami also has the longest active win streak in the NBA and is tied for the second-longest run in the league this season. The Golden State Warriors, with 12, have the longest run of the season, and the Houston Rockets are tied for second with 10.

Ironically, the Heat have beaten both the Rockets and the Warriors during this streak.

It is the best Miami run since the Heat won 10 straight in November/December of 2013.

The Heat, who completed a four-game homestand, will try to keep their string of wins going on Monday at the Minnesota Timberwolves, the first of Miami's four-game road trip..

"It's clear," Brown said, "that the Heat are playing good basketball."

Whiteside dominated the first quarter with 17 points and 11 rebounds, carrying the Heat to a 32-17 lead. Whiteside grabbed almost twice as many first-quarter boards as the entire 76ers team (six).

The 76ers cut their deficit to 64-52 at halftime as Ilyasova scored 11 second-quarter points. But Miami settled things in the third quarter, shooting 63.2 percent to take a 100-75 lead.

In the end, Miami shot a season-high 58.5 percent and had its highest-scoring non-overtime game of the campaign.

But because the Heat started the season so poorly at 11-30, the team is still in 12th place and out of playoff position in the Eastern Conference, and you can bet Spoelstra is doing all he can to keep his young team humble.

"Don't believe the hype," Spoelstra said. "We still have a lot of work to do. We still have to get to another level ... or two or three."

NOTES: 76ers rookie C Joel Embiid (bruised left knee) was out for the eighth time in the past nine games and is unlikely to play Monday against the Detroit Pistons. ... 76ers C Nerlens Noel, who had been out due to an upper-respiratory infection, made his fourth start of the season. ... 76ers F Robert Covington (right-hand contusion) sat out. ... The Chicago Bulls are reportedly interested in trading for Sixers PF Jahlil Okafor, a Chicago native. ... PG Briante Weber, who was the last player cut by Miami in training camp, has signed a 10-day contract with the Golden State Warriors. Playing for the Heat's D-League Sioux Falls team, Weber was the circuit's Player of the Month in January. In one game, he fell one steal shy of a quadruple-double. ... The Heat has a decision to make by Sunday on rookie F Okaro White, who is playing on his second and final 10-day contract with Miami.