Following back to back losses, the Miami Heat continued that trend by dropping a third game to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, Jan. 25. This came despite a brilliant performance from Center Bam Adebayo and a lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Coming Onto The Court
The Miami Heat came into the game on Monday night still without Jimmy Butler, Avery Bradley and Tyler Herro. It would be Bam Adebayo leading Miami, coming off a 41 point outing. For the Nets, Spencer Dinwiddie was their only major injury. Dinwiddie is out for the rest of the season after tearing his ACL early on in the season.
Game Recap – First Half
For most of the game, the Heat were in the driver’s seat as they jumped out to a very early 8-0 lead over the Nets. The Nets struggled, as their roster couldn’t hit the roadside of a barnyard to open things up. However, the Nets battled back and cut it down to three before the Heat secured the lead for the first, leading by six at the end of the quarter. Even with a weakened bench due to injuries, the Heat’s reserves would keep the offense constant and kept it going as they moved the ball around. They also were able to play pretty much turnover-free basketball, a big positive.
Miami held onto the lead early on in the second quarter, but the Nets’ superstars battled back and had a 9-2 run putting them back into striking distance of taking the lead.
However, it still wasn’t enough as the Heat were able to take a four-point lead heading into halftime. This came behind 15 points from Adebayo on the heads of the Nets’ defense. However, not much else went well offensively for them, as the Heat’s three point shooting was a struggle all throughout the first half.
Game Recap- Second Half
To open up the third, the Nets jumped out to a quick 8-0 run to take the lead behind the play of guard Kyrie Irving. However, the Heat kept fighting behind the stellar play of Goran Dragic, which carried over between both half’s. Adebayo continued forcing havoc on both ends of the court, scoring and blocking shots with ease. Heading into the fourth, the Heat led by just one, in a highly contested game.
The fourth, however, saw the slow demise of the Heat in the game. The Nets went on a run of domination to close out the game, going on a 17-3 tear at one point. This run, of course, was mostly owed to the success of their big three: James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The shorthanded and wounded Heat tried their best on Monday night, but it was no match for the dominating Nets, as they dropped the game 98-85.
Stats
Even with the loss on Monday night, there were definitely some positives to come out of the game. Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic dominated as they combined for 47 total. Andre Iguodala also played stellar on the defensive end coming off the bench while adding five points on five shots. However, beyond that, it was mostly them running the show tonight as it was ‘Brick City’ for the rest of the roster.
The rest of the Heat starters (Kelly Olynyk, KJ Okapla and Duncan Robinson) combined for just 12 points on 3-for-20 shooting. This was with Robinson finishing 1-for-10 from downtown. Guard Kendrick Nunn also had a very rough night scoring 12, but on a horrific 5-for-17 shooting, going 1-for-8 from behind the arc. The rest of the bench just scored 11 total, showing the weakness of the Heat at the moment.
What’s Next?
The Heat are expected to get some of their injured players back, a big positive. They’ll take on the Denver Nuggets next at home on the 27th at 7:30 PM.