Nets’ turnover problems haunt them against Heat in 10th straight loss
The Nets had their chance to reset in Miami. Instead, the same problem followed them into Thursday night’s rematch.
Brooklyn lost its 10th straight game at the Kaseya Center, falling to the Heat 126-110 in the second and final game of a two-game road series. Two nights after committing 19 turnovers, the Nets coughed it up 18 more times on Thursday, and Miami turned those mistakes into 24 points. The record is 15-47.
The Nets shot just 43.2 percent from the field, were outscored 54-34 in the paint and saw the third and final meeting between the teams this season unfold in familiar fashion.
The bearing problems happened almost immediately. Six giveaways in the first eight minutes set the tone, with Michael Porter Jr. responsible for three and Nic Claxton responsible for three, although the Nets defense held Miami under 40 percent shooting in the opening minutes. Bam Adebayo didn’t need much time to warm up, however. He scored six points in his first three minutes, picking up where he left off Tuesday.
Brooklyn found pockets of rhythm, and it did so the same way it often does for this group, relying on the 3-point line. After trailing by as much as seven with 5:03 left in the first quarter, the Nets went deep. Back-to-back 3s from Porter, Noah Clowney and Nolan Traore helped Brooklyn recover and briefly go ahead by two.
But the quarter still favored Miami. The Nets dominated the Heat in the first, doubled them at the 3-point line and still cruised to the second 31-26. Miami controlled the free throw line and committed only one turnover against Brooklyn’s eight, the difference between a good sequence and a lead that held.
Traore carried Brooklyn’s opening punch, scoring seven points on 3-for-4 shooting in his first nine minutes, while Porter started cold at 1-for-4 in the same span. The Nets also got off to a good start with their reserves, with Ben Saraf, Day’Ron Sharpe and Ochai Agbaji providing energy on both ends.
Adebayo, meanwhile, had 11 points in his first nine minutes.
Miami pushed its lead to 14 with 4:20 left in the half, the Heat’s biggest advantage at the time, and Brooklyn responded with needed burst: a Clowney 3-pointer, a Claxton dunk and another Porter 3 to cut the deficit to eight. Porter, in particular, found his stroke when Brooklyn needed it. After a shaky start, he made three of his five attempts in the second quarter, giving the Nets enough offense to hang around. They went into halftime trailing 60-56 after Traore scored his eighth and ninth points off an assist from Claxton with 6.9 seconds remaining.
Brooklyn shot 52.4% in the first half, but Miami shot 52.3%, and the Nets’ 11 turnovers were once again the separator.
Claxton added a milestone midway through the race. His first block of the night was the 600th of his career, moving him past Mike Gminski for the fourth most blocks in Nets history. He also became the seventh NBA player to reach 600 denials since entering the league in 2019-20.
For a moment, it looked like Brooklyn could turn things around with some timely effort and shots. An extended 22-5 run spanning the second and third quarters gave the Nets a 64-63 lead with 9:45 left in the third. Then, with 7:08 left and the game tied at 72, Clowney committed an offensive foul on Adebayo, who had 19 points at that point. It was Adebayo’s fifth foul, sending the three-time All-Star to the bench for the rest of the quarter.
Miami still didn’t blink.
Even after the Heat fought back with a 7-0 burst, Porter responded with his sixth 3-pointer of the game to stop the bleeding and keep Brooklyn within striking distance. But Adebayo’s absence didn’t change the shape of the quarter like the Nets needed. Miami outscored Brooklyn 23-11 after Adebayo went to the bench and took a 12-point lead into the fourth.
Then the game stopped. Miami opened the final period with a 19-7 run to push the lead to 24. Brooklyn responded with a 9-0 run of its own, but by then the damage was done.
Miami’s interior defense was a constant factor, thanks in part to the activity of Kel’el Ware, who had seven blocks and 16 points. Offensively, the Heat relied on the usual suspects even without Norman Powell. Tyler Herro finished with 25 points, Adebayo added 21 and Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 18 coming off the bench.
Porter led the Nets with 27 points, seven 3-pointers and 13 rebounds, and after rough outings on Tuesday, Traore and Saraf finished with nine and two assists, respectively, and four giveaways combined. Ziaire Williams added 15 points coming off the bench.
Brooklyn also played without Egor Dëmin for a third consecutive game. Before tip-off, head coach Jordi Fernández said that Dëmin’s plantar fasciitis pain had “increased” of late and that the team was “trying to find the best way for him to move forward.” In other words, there is no timetable for his return.
The Nets return to action Saturday in Detroit, a matchup with the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. Brooklyn was wiped out 130-77 the last time it played there on February 1st.
