Nets
Heat's bench and paint power 144-128 rout of Nets in preseason
The Miami Heat beat the Brooklyn Nets 144-128 at Kaseya Center behind a 62-38 paint advantage and a 69-58 edge off the bench. Both teams are 0-0 in this preseason exhibition, so the result carries no standings weight, but it gave Miami's rotation players a strong tune-up before the regular season.
By the Hoops Nightly Desk · updated 4 d ago01The story of the nightThird quarter broke it openMiami led just 69-66 at halftime after Brooklyn clawed back from an early deficit — the Nets' biggest lead of the…
Miami led just 69-66 at halftime after Brooklyn clawed back from an early deficit — the Nets' biggest lead of the night was only 1 point. The Heat answered with a 43-37 third quarter to push the margin to 112-103, then closed with a 32-25 fourth to finish it, 144-128. Miami's biggest lead reached 17, and despite six total lead changes, the game never got tight again after the third-quarter surge.
02Porter Jr. leads all scorers, Giannis fills the sheetMichael Porter Jr.
Michael Porter Jr. led everyone with 27 points on 9-of-17 shooting, including 4-of-8 from three, for Brooklyn. Giannis Antetokounmpo paced Miami with 20 points, 15 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 blocks on efficient 8-of-10 shooting in just 23.7 minutes. Andrew Wiggins added 19 on 8-of-15 shooting, and Miami got instant offense off the bench from Ryan Conwell (13 points, 3-of-4 from three, plus/minus of +23).
03Won in the paint and off the benchMiami out-shot Brooklyn 58.5% to 43.8% from the field and dominated the interior, outscoring the Nets in the paint…
Miami out-shot Brooklyn 58.5% to 43.8% from the field and dominated the interior, outscoring the Nets in the paint 62-38 and in fast-break points 20-6. The Heat also out-rebounded Brooklyn 61-47 and got 69 points from their bench compared to Brooklyn's 58. Brooklyn actually made more threes (17-of-47 to Miami's 15-of-42) and shot more free throws (27-of-32 to 19-of-29), but couldn't offset Miami's edge inside and in transition.
04Mixed night on the defensive glass and ballBrooklyn had the edge in takeaways, outpacing Miami 12-7 in steals, but Miami blocked more shots, 7-3.
Brooklyn had the edge in takeaways, outpacing Miami 12-7 in steals, but Miami blocked more shots, 7-3. Turnovers were close — Miami gave it away 15 times to Brooklyn's 13 — and both teams scored exactly 15 points off turnovers. Miami's size advantage, reflected in the rebounding and block totals, proved more decisive than Brooklyn's activity in the passing lanes.
05Preseason tune-up for both rostersWith both teams still at 0-0, the result has no bearing on the standings, but it offered a look at depth for each side.
With both teams still at 0-0, the result has no bearing on the standings, but it offered a look at depth for each side. Miami leaned on its bench heavily, with Conwell, Tim Hardaway Jr. (14 points), Bobby Portis Jr. (12) and Simone Fontecchio (11) all contributing. Brooklyn got extended minutes for young players Egor Demin (17 points, 22.8 minutes), Nolan Traore (12 points, 5 assists) and Mikel Brown Jr. (15 points) as the Nets evaluate their rotation heading into the season.
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