Tyler Herro scored 25 points as the Miami Heat pulled away in the third quarter and withstood the Brooklyn Nets’ late comeback to win 106-97 on Saturday night in New York.
The Heat moved back to .500 for the 12th time this season at 22-22 and won for just the ninth time in 21 games since winning four straight games in early December.
Herro made 8-of-14 shots and had eight of Miami’s 22 assists. Bam Adebayo came alive in the second half with 10 of his 17 points to go along with 16 rebounds for the game, helping Miami to a 51-35 edge on the glass.
Nikola Jovic added 17 points and Terry Rozier contributed nine of his 16 in the final 3:28 as Miami’s bench totaled 42 points. Duncan Robinson contributed 15 points for the Heat, who shot 44.3 percent from the field and withstood 22 turnovers.
The Nets dropped their 10th straight home game following a lengthy halftime ceremony to retire Hall of Famer Vince Carter’s No. 15 jersey. The Nets also lost their sixth straight game overall their 14th time in their last 16 games.
Keon Johnson scored 13 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter to help Brooklyn chip away at an 18-point deficit early in the period. D’Angelo Russell also scored 22 for the Nets, who were without Cameron Johnson (right ankle) for the ninth time in 12 games.
Noah Clowney and Nic Claxton chipped in 13 apiece as Brooklyn scored 29 points off Miami’s turnovers and shot 37.5 percent.
The Nets forged a 61-61 tie on a dunk by Keon Johnson with 6:19 left in the third, but Miami surged ahead again. Adebayo found Robinson for a layup on the next possession to start a 7-0 run, and the Heat outscored Brooklyn 21-7 the rest of the quarter for a 82-68 lead entering the fourth.
The Heat took an 88-70 lead on Robinson’s layup with 9:05 left in the game, but struggled at times to finish it. Miami’s lead dwindled to 102-94 when Johnson sank a 3-pointer with 45.7 seconds left, but Rozier and Herro finished it off at the line.
–Field Level Media
