The Miami HEAT defeated the Brooklyn Nets 95-91 Tuesday night at Barclays Center. Dwyane Wade led the way for the HEAT with 28 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Impact Performance of the Night: With all the injuries plaguing the HEAT, Dwyane Wade made sure his presence would be felt in a big way. Wade set the tone for the HEAT in the first quarter, as he scored Miami’s first ten points and started a red-hot 4-of-5 from the field. As the game wore on, Wade continued to hit tough, contested mid-range jumpers and also made some clutch plays down the stretch for Miami. In all, Wade scored 28 points on 50 percent shooting, grabbed five boards and dished out four assists.
The Deciding Run: After the Nets stormed back in the second half, the HEAT closed the third quarter on a 14-6 run to go back up by ten entering the final quarter of play. The Nets responded, but Miami held on in the end due to some clutch free throws by Luol Deng.
Early on in the game, the HEAT went on a 19-6 run to go up 37-27 with 10:19 left in the second quarter. Mario Chalmers was huge on the run and made some great plays on both ends.
Play of the Game: With 5:29 left in the second quarter, Dwyane Wade went with a gorgeous spin move at the left corner to get away from Jarrett Jack. Wade then finished the reverse layup to put the HEAT up 42-32.
Another nice play came with 26 seconds to go in the first quarter. Mario Chalmers drove in from the left wing and threw up a perfect lob for Chris Andersen, who finished the slam to put Miami up 30-23.
Lastly, with 2:03 left in the first quarter, Cory Jefferson received the ball on the left block with Mario Chalmers on him. Jefferson then rose up for a dunk. However, Chris Andersen made a fine defensive play. Andersen measured his jump, leaped in the air at the perfect time and swatted Jefferson’s dunk attempt to save two points.
Efficiency Rating: Offensive Efficiency: 100.6; Defensive Efficiency: 93.7
Trend to Watch: Chris Andersen had a good outing against the Nets. Andersen made some great hustle plays and affected plenty of shots at the rim. As a result of his great play early on, Andersen played in crunch time to seal the deal on Brooklyn. In all, Andersen scored four points, grabbed nine boards and swatted two shots. Hopefully his hot play continues as the HEAT begin their homestand Wednesday night.
The Takeaway: Miami came away with a tough, gritty win on Tuesday night behind its defense. The HEAT forced a lot of turnovers on the Nets, especially early on, and made it tough for them to get into any kind of rhythm. Miami scored 20 points off of Brooklyn’s 17 turnovers, as it effectively got out in transition. Mario Chalmers led the charge in that category and finished the game with four steals to go along with his 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists. The HEAT forced the Nets to shoot just 39 percent and kept everyone in check for the most part.
Notes:
- Josh McRoberts and Chris Bosh sat out due to injury. Danny Granger sat out because he was sick.
- There was a 30-minute delay due to a leak at Barclays Center.
Game Highlights: