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 They can't be thrilled when their record, even with the win, is
just 15-20. After a 7-2 start to the season, the Heat are 8-18
since.
They can't be pleased when their home record is an even less
Heat-like at 7-12.
And they can't be satisfied with being in eighth place in the
Eastern Conference -- not after reaching the NBA Finals and winning
two titles in the past four years.
"We're miserable right now," said Heat forward Chris Bosh, who had a
game-high 26 points in the Heat's 88-84 win over the Brooklyn Nets
at AmericanAirlines Arena.
The Heat are a little less miserable thanks to shooting guard Dwyane
Wade, who scored 10 of Miami's last 12 points.
Wade finished with 25 points, seven assists and six rebounds as the
Heat snapped a four-game losing streak.
"We couldn't stop Bosh, and we couldn't stop Wade," Nets coach
Lionel Hollins said. "That's the reason we couldn't get any closer."
The Heat shot just 46.3 percent from the floor, but they outscored
the Nets 21-9 at the foul line and outrebounded Brooklyn by four.
Miami also held the Nets to 39.5 percent shooting.
Brooklyn had a 40-28 advantage in terms of points in the paint and
also topped the Heat in bench points, 43-21.
Both those advantages likely would have been even wider had it not
been for Heat backup center Hassan Whiteside, 25. The 7-footer was
signed by the Heat on Nov. 24, four days after he was cut by the
Memphis Grizzlies.
Whiteside is emerging with the Heat, and he had his first career
double-double Sunday -- 11 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks.
"We didn't know when or if that would be possible," Heat coach Erik
Spoelstra said of Whiteside's production. "My first meeting with him
was about the work and his commitment to player development -- the
conditioning, the weight-lifting, the pre-practice understanding of
what our system is -- and not being worried about minutes.
"I told him, 'If that doesn't appeal to you, this might not be the
place for you.' But I think he wanted to take this opportunity."
Added Wade: "(Whiteside) is a game-changer."
He certainly was against Brooklyn (16-17), which had its three-game
win streak snapped and is now 0-3 this season against Miami.
Shooting guard Joe Johnson led five double-figure Nets scorers with
19 points.
"I thought we had some breakdowns defensively, and we were
indecisive on offense," Johnson said. "We were thinking too much and
missing shots we normally make. They had a big guy in the middle
(Whiteside) who was altering shots, and we had to be aware of him."
[to top of second column] |
Miami got off to a good start, leading by as many as 11 points
before settling for a 30-21 advantage at the end of the first
quarter. The Heat shot 60 percent from the floor and on 3-pointers
(three of five) and made nine of 11 on free throws.
The teams played evenly in the second quarter, giving Miami a 49-40
halftime lead. Both teams shot below 39 percent from the floor in
the second quarter.
Brooklyn made a run in the third quarter, cutting Miami's lead to
64-59. The Heat has now been outscored by 150 points in the third
quarter this season, putting them in last place in that statistic.
However, Wade came up big down the stretch while scoring at least 25
points for the 14th time this season.
Johnson said the Nets hoped to "eliminate" either Wade or Bosh in
the game but instead got hurt by both of the Heat's stars.
"Wade down the stretch made plays and knocked down free throws,"
Johnson said. "They have a tough team for us."
NOTES: The Nets entered the game with more rest than the Heat.
Brooklyn, which played Friday at Orlando, had a short trip to Miami
and got to rest on Saturday. The Heat had a road game at Houston on
Saturday night and then traveled home for the Sunday night game. ...
The Nets' recent success came with two highly paid players -- PG
Deron Williams and C Brook Lopez -- both coming off the bench. After
sustaining mild injuries, Williams and Lopez are now used as backups
to PG Jarrett Jack and C Mason Plumlee. ... Up next, the Heat start
a five-game road trip at Portland on Thursday. The trip includes two
other projected playoff teams: the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden
State Warriors. ... The Nets have a tough back-to-back, returning
home to play the Dallas Mavericks on Monday.
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