While the Brooklyn Nets are enjoying their best stretch of the season and seeing promising performances from some of their five rookies, the Miami Heat are enduring their worst stretch following a strong start.
Four nights after matching the largest margin of victory in franchise history, the Nets host the Heat, who are on a five-game losing streak.
Brooklyn is 4-2 in its past six games since a 116-99 loss at Milwaukee dropped its record to 3-16. The Nets are also 3-1 in their past four home games after dropping their first nine.
During their past six games, the Nets are averaging 116 points and shooting 39.1% from 3-point range.
Brooklyn’s latest improved showing was a dominating performance in a 127-82 victory over Milwaukee on Sunday night when it never trailed and matched the 1993 team record for the most lopsided victory in franchise history.
The Nets scored their second-most points all season and placed nine in double figures without needing a monster game from Michael Porter Jr., who scored at least 30 in his previous four games.
Egor Demin, who heard some criticism from coach Jordi Fernandez after Friday’s eight-point loss in Dallas, led the Nets with 17 points for the second-most of his career. Noah Clowney, who has cemented his spot in the frontcourt, added 16 in a game when the Nets shot 52.9% and matched a season-high with 19 made 3s.
“Normally, Mike has been carrying us offensively, and then you see how spread out the points are amongst the group,” said assistant Steve Hetzel, who coached the team while Fernandez dealt with an illness. “I don’t think anybody that stepped on the court played poorly. Complete team effort, totally focused.”
Miami won 13 of its first 19 games while playing with a revamped offense and put together six straight wins from Nov. 17-26. Since then, the Heat are 1-6 and have been held under 112 points in each game of a five-game losing streak.
Miami’s skid continued with a 106-96 home loss to the Toronto Raptors on Monday when it shot 42.2% from the field and was unable to expand a three-point lead in the fourth. It was Miami’s third-lowest mark this season and it was compounded by a 9-of-31 showing from 3-point range — the eighth time the Heat failed to make 30% from behind the arc.
The Heat were outscored 32-19 in the fourth quarter Monday and committed four of their 19 turnovers in the final period.
Bam Adebayo collected 20 points and 10 rebounds on 7-of-13 shooting but the rest of Miami’s starters were 15 of 43 from the field. That included Norman Powell, who scored 20 but shot 5 of 15 after shooting 50.7% in his previous four games.
“Earlier in the season, we were able to get whatever we wanted because they didn’t know our offense, our system,” Powell said. “We were doing a good job moving the ball, trusting one another, finding open good looks.
“Right now, I think this offense is slow because they’re, one, denying us, and we don’t have as much ball movement and body movement that we need to have. We find it throughout the course of games and it’s good for a couple of minutes. Then when it gets a little tough, we kind of take on the role of trying to do it ourselves rather than continuing to work the game.”
Powell is questionable for Thursday’s game due to left calf discomfort.
The Heat have rarely had Tyler Herro on the floor this season and he will be out again Thursday though he traveled with the team. Herro missed 17 games following ankle surgery in September and now will miss his fourth game in the last five outings due to a bruised right big toe.
