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Watch out for the Miami Heat. After trouncing the defending NBA champions, the Milwaukee Bucks, last week, the Heat beat the team tipped to win it all, the Brooklyn Nets, on Wednesday to earn their latest victory.
The 106-93 win on the road put the Miami Heat at 3-1 in the regular-season standings.
The Miami Heat won the contest against the Brooklyn Nets by once again relying on their defense. They restricted the Nets to just 42 points in the second half, scoring 57 themselves. Riding on that effort, the Heat continue to be the league’s number one defense.
Speaking to the media following the win, the Miami Heat’s PJ Tucker spoke about the versatility of his team’s defensive schemes and their open communication. He commented:
"I can be on KD then Bam will switch and I'm like cool, then Jimmy will switch and I'm like cool, then Kyle will switch and I'm like cool. We can yell at each other then go out there and play and be good."
Miami Heat win the battle of the boards against Brooklyn Nets
The other significant factor that contributed to the Miami Heat’s victory was their rebounding. They outrebounded the Brooklyn Nets 62-42, with Jimmy Butler leading the way with 14 boards (17 points, seven assists). Bam Adebayo, who led the Heat with 24 points, came up with nine rebounds, as did Dewayne Dedmon (14 points).
The decisive advantage on the boards also allowed Miami to outscore Brooklyn 31-4 on the second-chance points parameter.
The Miami Heat dominated their opponents in other areas too. They had a 48-34 advantage against the Brooklyn Nets in the paint. The Heat also won the battle of the reserves, with their bench outscoring their counterparts 35-21. For the Nets, Kevin Durant had a 25-point, 11-rebound outing on a night when the home team shot just 38.8% from the floor and 32.6% from downtown.
After losing in Indiana on Saturday, this was the Miami Heat’s first road win of the season. They have restricted their opponents to 95 points or fewer in all their three wins.
The Miami Heat will now host the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, after which they will travel to Memphis and Dallas to play their next two games of the season.
