MIAMI - Turning 60 never gets old.

For the second time in the franchise's 25-season history, the Miami Heat are 60-game winners.

Shorthanded, but still with the typical answers against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Heat improved to 60-16 Saturday night with a 106-87 victory at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Now one victory shy of matching the franchise record for victories, set in 1996-97, the Heat also reduced to two their magic number to clinch the overall top seed in the NBA playoffs, which are now just two weeks away.

The Heat found a way to their 15th consecutive victory over the 76ers, sweeping the series for the fourth consecutive season, even with guard Dwyane Wade and center Chris Bosh given the night off to nurse what the team described as nagging injuries.

But with LeBron James scoring 27 points in 30 minutes in his first game back from a three-game absence of his own, and with Ray Allen returning after missing Friday's road victory over the Charlotte Bobcats, the Heat settled in after blowing an early 15-point lead.

James was supported by a XX-rebound effort from backup center Chris Andersen and double-digit scoring from teammates Rashard Lewis, Udonis Haslem, Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole and Allen.

An Allen 3-pointer with 7:06 to play pushed the Heat to an 88-82 lead, with another Allen 3-pointer with six minutes to play extending the Heat's lead to 92-82. James converted a breakaway dunk with 2:40 to play that put the Heat up 101-85.

For the Heat, it again was a case of balancing a rested roster for the playoffs and a team maintaining continuity.

That had had James returning after missing those three games with a strained left hamstring, as well as Allen back after missing a game to tend to a sprained right ankle.

Any concerns of James' streak of games in double figures coming to an end in his measured minutes were allayed by the midpoint of the opening period, when he reached double digits for the 492nd consecutive game. He went to the bench with 4:15 left in the first quarter with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting, his shortest opening stint to a game in three seasons.

Going in, coach Erik Spoelstra said, "I will have an idea where I want to keep it. I won't play him 40 minutes or 37. He has had a couple good days of workouts and he has had incredible progress."

Wade missed his fourth consecutive game with what now is being listed by the team as knee pain, after previously being listed as a sprained right ankle.

"He has to resolve the swelling right now from getting hit in the knee," said Spoelstra, who said the issue is not structural.

Bosh was held out due to what the team is listing as a hyper-extended knee. It was Bosh's first absence since the Heat wrapped up the No. 1 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference two weeks ago.

Also, Chalmers remained in the starting lineup after returning Friday night against the Bobcats from a sprained right ankle that had him out the three previous games.

Like James, Chalmers got off to a hot start, making his first three shots, including a pair of 3-pointers.

With Bosh out, center Joel Anthony was given his first start of the season. Mike Miller again started in place of Wade, coming off Friday's 26-point performance in Charlotte.

Even with James' minutes limited at the start, the Heat pushed to a 33-18 lead going into the second period, with Cole closing the first-quarter scoring with a 3-pointer with 1.4 second to play in the opening period.

But after leading by as many as those 15 points in the first half, the Heat found themselves up only 50-46 at halftime, after being outscored 28-17 in the second period.

James had 15 points at halftime in 14 first-half minutes.

Later, with a third-quarter jumper that gave him his 18th and 19th points, James became the 32nd NBA player to reach 21,000 career points.

The Heat went into the fourth quarter up 77-76, with James having played 23 minutes to that stage.

Both teams were playing on the second night of a back-to-back set, with the Heat entering with a 12-1 record on the second nights of such pairings.

• Read more articles by IRA WINDERMAN

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