By Marc D'Amico | July 8, 2008

Orlando, Fla.- The Miami Heat defeated the New Jersey Nets 90-81 in the opening game of day two at the Orlando Pro Summer League.

The Heat led almost the entire first half, but the bigger story was that they did it without much help from their star rookie, Michael Beasley.

Beasley finished the first half with more fouls and turnovers (he had five of each) than points (four). He came up empty for the half from the field, shooting a woeful 0-for-9. His only positive performances came from the free throw line, where he went 4-for-4, and in the rebounding department, where he notched six boards, five of which were offensive.

With Beasley not performing up to his abilities, second-round draft pick Mario Chalmers stepped up his game. Chalmers finished the half with 13 points, eight of which came from the free throw line. He also dished out two assists. His performance, coupled with Kasib Powell’s 11 points, kept the Nets at bay.

The top performer in the half on offense for the Nets was Anthony Tolliver, who scored seven points. But the most impressive play had to be Sean Williams, who single handedly shut down Beasley for the half while putting up six points and three rebounds.

The Heat managed to go into halftime with a 43-34 lead.

The third quarter brought much of the same for Beasley. He continued his poor shooting, making his first field goal from beyond the arc at the 6:48 mark.

New Jersey’s strong draft class played well in the third and as Beasley’s fouls continued to mount up, the Nets got back in the game. Ryan Anderson showed his NBA range and had a 10 point third quarter while Brook Lopez notched eight points. The Nets managed to cut the lead to five at the half after Beasley committed his seventh foul. As a result of the seventh foul, the Nets received two free throws and possession. Anderson made both free throws, and out of a timeout Will Conroy split a double team and found Marcus Slaughter for a dunk. The Heat managed to hold onto the lead after three, with a 66-61 score.

Anderson’s hot shooting continued into the fourth quarter. He hit a 3-pointer to open the final period and hit another at the 6:16 mark to give the Nets their first lead since early in the first quarter, at 71-69.

Chalmers then began to take over, both driving and dishing. He made a driving contested layup to give the Heat a one point lead and later found Anthony Morrow wide open in the corner for a 3-pointer. That shot seemed to put the Nets away and gave the Heat the lead for good.

The top performer for the Heat was Mario Chalmers, who finished with 19 points, nine assists, three steals and two rebounds. Anthony Morrow also added 19 and Kasib Powell finished with 17 points and five rebounds. Beasley’s miserable day ended with a stat line of nine points, five turnovers, seven fouls, seven rebounds, one steal and one blocked shot.

The Nets lost the game, but they had strong performances from their top two draft picks. Anderson displayed great touch from inside and outside, finishing with 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting along with seven boards. Brook Lopez had 18 points and seven rebounds while making 8-of-10 from the field.

The teams continue play tomorrow evening, when the Nets face Oklahoma City at 5 pm and the Heat face the Pacers at 7 pm.