Heat 108, Hornets 89: LeBron James scored 28 of his 36 points in a blistering first half as visiting Miami clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with its 28th win in 29 games.

Two nights after their 27-game winning streak came to an end, the Heat shot 60.9 percent and made 14-of-27 3-pointers. James led the charge, making 6-of-7 from behind the arc in the first half alone.

Ryan Anderson led New Orleans with 20 points. The Hornets played without starting point guard Greivis Vasquez, who sat for the second time in three games with an ankle injury.

James had just five points late in the first quarter before he hit three 3-pointers in a span of 69 seconds to give Miami a 32-22 advantage after one. The superstar had three more 3s in the first three-plus minutes of the second as the Heat stormed to a 60-43 halftime lead and cruised after the break.

Dwyane Wade had 17 points, nine assists and four steals for Miami, which visits San Antonio on Sunday in a matchup of the top two teams in the NBA.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Miami gained top seed in the East for the third time. It also did it in 1998-99 and 2004-05. ... Hornets rookie PG Brian Roberts had 18 assists starting in place of Vasquez on Monday against Denver. He made the start again in this one and finished with five. ... Eight Heat reserves combined to shoot 14-for-21 and commit just one turnover.