The Miami HEAT defeated the Brooklyn Nets 104-98 Wednesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Dwyane Wade led the way for the HEAT with 28 points, nine assists and three rebounds.
Impact Performance of the Night: Once more, Dwyane Wade had a solid outing on Wednesday night. Wade started the game with a pass-first mentality and set up his teammates very well with some excellent feeds. He had five assists alone in the first quarter, with many of those going to Chris Andersen. As the game progressed, Wade started to look for his shot. Wade had plenty of nice shots in the post and also converted on a few floaters down the stretch. Both Wade and Dragic showed some nice chemistry in the third quarter, which will be great to see moving forward. Wade finished the game with 28 points, nine assists and three boards.
The Deciding Run: The HEAT closed the third quarter on a 13-6 run to give them an 82-67 advantage. Brooklyn would narrow the gap thanks to Jarrett Jack, but Miami never relinquished the lead.
Earlier, the HEAT went on a 12-3 run to take a 48-31 lead with 7:03 left in the first half. Wade continued to play well, as he scored nine points in the second quarter alone.
Play of the Game: With 10:27 left in the second quarter, Dwyane Wade drove inside from right around the free-throw line. He then picked up his dribble, absorbed contact from Markel Brown and banked-in the jumper. After the amazing circus shot, Wade hit the ensuing free throw to put the HEAT up 39-28.
Another nice play came with 7:24 to go in the second quarter when Udonis Haslem grabbed the defensive rebound off a Deron Williams miss. Haslem then launched it with one hand all the way down court to Dwyane Wade. Wade caught it in stride and finished the layup to put Miami up 47-31.
Lastly, with 2:59 left in the first quarter, Tyler Johnson handled the ball on the left wing after Chris Andersen set him a screen. Andersen then cut to the basket, and Johnson threw him a great lob over two defenders. Andersen finished the jam to put the HEAT up 29-19.
Efficiency Rating: Offensive Efficiency: 106.4; Defensive Efficiency: 100.9
Trend to Watch: The HEAT kept their turnovers to a minimum for a majority of the game on Wednesday night. Through three quarters, Miami committed just six before it had five in the fourth quarter alone. A lot of that was a product of great ball movement, especially early on. Miami tallied 23 assists on 37 made field goals against the Nets. That fluid offense enabled a lot of guys to get in a rhythm. In particular, Chris Andersen was a recipient of some great passes. Andersen also fought hard on the offensive glass and gave Miami plenty of second-chance opportunities. He tied a career-high with 18 points and grabbed 14 rebounds (five offensive) against Brooklyn.
The Takeaway: With both teams vying for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, this game was very important. That was clear from how Miami started off the game with a lot of energy. Thanks to the strong start, the HEAT were able to gain an early lead on the Nets. Brooklyn would fight back and get close, especially in the second half, but Miami remained in control. With the Nets surging, Mario Chalmers hit a clutch three to put the HEAT up 101-93 with 41.6 seconds left. Wade found Chalmers with a great cross-court pass after he drove inside from the left wing.
Udonis Haslem also had a solid performance on Wednesday night. The co-captain worked very hard down low and tallied a season-high nine rebounds to go along with his seven points.
Game Highlights: