The Brooklyn Nets started hot, but burned out as Tuesday’s game wore on, falling 121-100 in preseason action against the Miami HEAT at American Airlines Arena.
Jeremy Lin led the Nets with 16 points and five assists, but while seven Nets scored in double-digits, their fate was tied to their three-point shooting. The Nets led 59-55 in the first half, shooting 10-of-22 from three, but trailed off in the second half, hitting four-of-11 from downtown.
Hassan Whiteside led the HEAT with 21 points and 14 rebounds in 23 minutes, while Goran Dragic had a game-high 11 assists along with 17 points. Lin led the Nets with 16 points, while Greivis Vasquez had a team-high six assists – the Nets had 20 assists on the night, their highest amount of the preseason. Bojan Bogdanovic had a team-high three, three-pointers. Brook Lopez and Randy Foye did not play, as they both had a scheduled night off.
Brooklyn got off to a slow start in the first quarter, tailing 22-11 in the early going, before storming back with a 15-5 run to end the first down 27-26. The three-ball got the Nets out of trouble and in the driver seat to start the second quarter with Brooklyn going on a 16-4 run to start the second quarter – including three threes – taking a 42-31 lead, their largest lead of the game. Brooklyn kept Miami at bay for much of the quarter, but saw their lead dwindle to four points (59-54) at the half.
Miami took over in the third, outscoring the Nets 38-17 to take a 93-76 lead into the fourth quarter. The Nets shot 28.6% in the third quarter (6-of-21) and got away from their three-point strategy, draining two and only attempting seven. Conversely, the HEAT shot 52% (12-of-23), hitting five-of-eight three-pointers and going nine-of-12 from the stripe. All eight Miami players who played in the third quarter scored at least three points, led by eight from Tyler Johnson. The HEAT outscored the Nets 28-24 in the fourth quarter, with Chris McCullough and Isaiah Whitehead getting extended minutes down the stretch.
With the loss, the Nets drop to 1-2 in preseason action, while the HEAT improved to 2-1. Brooklyn returns home to face the Boston Celtics on Thursday night at Barclays Center. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m.