Despite an injury to Kevin Durant, the Nets pulled off a miraculous escape in Miami

We don’t know if it’s Adam Silver, DJ Khaled, or the Irving-Durant tandem coming to American Airlines Arena, but the Heat pulled out all the stops tonight to try to take down Brooklyn.

The Floridians stood up first against the Nets in a big first half in which both combinations took a hit for a hit that included a collective effort to answer the attacks of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant (64-66). And then Kevin Durant had a two-part knee injury that forced him out late in the third quarter. At that point, the Nets were on the move, especially when Tyler Herro celebrated with a 3-pointer to give his team the lead (80-79).

Brooklyn could have let it go at that point, especially when Tyler Herro scored eight points in quick succession early in the fourth quarter to give his team the biggest lead of the game (90-81). But pride, the Nets managed to restore. Thanks to his accuracy, the trio of Irving-Curry-Claxton then did what was needed to bring Brooklyn back into the game. Seth Curry put his team at +3 (97-100) with a shot from 4 meters in front of Victor Oladipo.

The Heat then got out of the jam (101-100) with two dunks from Jimmy Butler after an Orlando Robinson layup followed by a good layup. Kyrie Irving, the author of the big play, tried to kill the tension with a 3-pointer from two meters behind the line. Fortunately for Brooklyn, Yuta Watanabe and then Royce O’Neale were a little more lively. It’s enough for O’Neale to send the ball directly to the basket with 3.2 seconds to play (101-102).

As is often the case in these situations, the referees then let the players decide the outcome of the match. That’s when Jimmy Butler recovered the ball, Yuta Watanabe got rid of it and Royce O’Neale made contact in the air. Despite O’Neale’s fault, there was little Jimmy Butler could offer his team a victory. When it came down to it, it was Brooklyn who won this first confrontation of the season between the two teams (101-102).

WHAT TO REMEMBER

– Kevin Durant is injured. This is obviously the news of the night, especially since the Nets star was shot in the right knee and twice! First, there was a knee-to-knee shock with Kyle Lowry 8 minutes into the third quarter. Then 7 minutes later, on a counter by Ben Simmons on Jimmy Butler, Butler fell on top of KD, causing his same knee to uncharacteristically twist. Released by the step, he was quickly confiscated for the rest of the match…

– The Nets’ reaction. Brooklyn could have let it go when Kevin Durant left with 13 minutes left, and Miami had played very well up until that point. But the Nets found a way to come back and win the game thanks to the energy of their duty players like Royce O’Neale or Nic Claxton and also the talent of the Irving-Curry pair. Seth Curry’s input was especially decisive as he scored 9 of 14 points in the final stretch while also offering a counter on Bam Adebayo!

– Guilt or guilt? Another question that will feed the news of the league at the end of the match. Did Royce O’Neale foul Jimmy Butler at the last second? Apriori, the answer is obvious, but there’s no doubt he’ll be haunting Erik Spoelstra until the next matchup…

MATCH ACTION

If we pass on Bam Adebayo’s devastating dunk to Joe Harris, who was guilty of wanting to play a valid pass behind the arc of the rim below the backboard, we’ll save this Lebronesque basket from Gabe Vincent to end the first quarter. Gabe Vincent caught a quarterback pass from Victor Oladipo with 1.1 seconds left as TJ Warren had just drained two straight 3-pointers. The Nigerian turned to launch a prayer that found the target!

TOPS/FLOPS

✅ Kyrie Irving. The less visible leader after halftime led a breathtaking first half with 24 points. Despite some questionable picks at the end, he was still there for the threat he represented to opposing defenses, like when he passed to Nic Claxton.

✅ Seth Curry. The man who revived the Nets when Kevin Durant was fresh out and Tyler Herro was getting hot. Baskets, “clutch,” efficiency, that’s all Brooklyn needs at the time. The X factor of this end of the match with Royce O’Neale.

✅Herro-Butler duet. The Heat relied heavily on Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro after the break, probably a little too much, but the tandem wasn’t far from succeeding within a whistle.

⛔️Lowry-Oladipo-Adebayo trio. Miami definitely expects more in a game that has nothing. If Kyle Lowry has struggled often this season, Victor Oladipo and Bam Adebayo, who touched his hand in the first half, have had great performances and just didn’t make it in this matchup, especially late in the game. .

NEXT

Miami (21-20): The Heat will host OKC tomorrow night (1:30 p.m.).

Brooklyn (27-13): The Nets are set to face eventual playoff executioners the Celtics at home this Tuesday (1:30 p.m.).