There’s been plenty of debate about the Nets’ starting five during their recent slump. On Friday, it didn’t matter who was on the court, the Heat (18-17) had no answers for Brooklyn (13-22).
The Nets broke out of their three-game losing streak by matching the franchise’s biggest-ever win (24 points) against Miami. The last time the Nets did that was at home in 1989, which makes their victory at American Airlines Arena even more impressive.
Brooklyn’s starters have been under the microscope lately due to their slow starts to games – which was highlighted in a poor performance against the Pelicans on Wednesday. When the Nets found themselves trailing 18-8 early on in the first quarter, it appeared as if it would be more of the same. Then came in the bench.
The second unit sparked a 16-2 run to close out the first quarter and give the Nets a 24-20 lead. They wouldn’t trail again and the starters, perhaps motivated by the bench’s showing, got in the act. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson poured in 18 points, shooting an unbelievable 88.8 percent. Tyler Zeller and Spencer Dinwiddie also impressed as they helped Brooklyn get off to a 9-2 run at the start of the third quarter. The team never relented as it built a 38-point lead en route to snapping a six-game losing streak against their opponents.
Here’s Three Observations From the Victory:
The Bench Mob
When the Nets fell behind by 10 early in the first quarter, it looked like their Smoothie King Center nightmare followed them to Miami. Enter Caris LeVert and the second unit.
Brooklyn might have been in a slump recently, but it can’t blame that on the play of the second-year player. LeVert’s superb December continued on Friday night. He combined with Joe Harris and Jarrett Allen to inject some much-needed energy in the first half. It was a career-high night for the group as LeVert topped his mark for assists in a game (11) and Harris had his highest-point total (21). LeVert’s impact could be seen in his plus-minus stats as he had a game-high +28. Allen finished with 12 points and 9 rebounds.
The bench’s influence could be seen after the first half where they outscored their counterparts 32-6 after two quarters.
All Day Rondae
Hollis-Jefferson has been a quality defender since his arrival into the NBA, but he’s really making strides on the offensive side of the ball in his third season. That was on full display in the rout of the Heat. The 22-year-old did all of his damage inside the arc, hitting mid-range shots and capping off his night with an unbelievable one-handed slam at the end of the second quarter.
In the last five games, Hollis-Jefferson is averaging 17.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists on 51 percent shooting (67 percent on threes). Not bad for a player whose offensive game has been called unconventional at times.
Emphatic Response
What a difference a win makes.
Brooklyn’s performances appeared to dip with each game of their current five-game trip, but it silenced some of the concern with a resounding victory over a team it has previously struggled against.
While it would be foolish to read too much into the victory, as evidenced by the three-game losing streak that followed the rout of the Wizards, the Nets showed their resilience in the face of pressure on Friday. Brooklyn couldn’t afford to finish its trip 0-5 and it didn’t. The team’s turnaround on defense was a big part of it.
Miami was held to 34 percent shooting and to 3-of-26 shooting from behind the arc – stunning considering that the Heat are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the NBA.
Kenny Atkinson will likely hope he can bottle some of this performance ahead of the team’s trip to Boston to face the Eastern Conference-leading Celtics.