Heat dunk Nets for eighth consecutive win
MIAMI -- Led by James Johnson's spectacular last-minute dunk, the Miami Heat won their eighth straight game, defeating the Brooklyn Nets 104-96 on Monday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.
After a missed jumper by Rodney McGruder, Johnson soared, grabbed the rebound with his left hand and dunked all in one motion, giving Miami a 101-93 lead with 57 seconds left.
The Heat (19-30), who has the longest active win streak in the NBA, got balanced scoring. Goran Dragic had 20 points and eight assists. Dion Waiters had 19 points and a season-high nine assists, and Johnson added 17 points.
Johnson, though, appeared to hurt his right shoulder on the final play of the game.
Brooklyn (9-39), which has the worst record in the NBA, lost its sixth straight game. The Nets have the worst-ranked defense in the league and allowed an opponent to score more than 100 points for the 24th consecutive game.
Bojan Bogdanovich led the Nets with 16 points. Brook Lopez, who had 33 points against Miami last week, was held to 14 points.
Brooklyn played a strong first quarter, shooting 58.3 percent from the field and committing just two turnovers. That led to a 32-28 lead.
Miami took its first lead of the game in the second quarter and had a 56-52 advantage at the break. Both teams shot 50.0 percent from the floor in the first half, but the Nets made just 1 of 10 3-pointers and Miami converted 8 of 18 (44.4 percent).
The Heat hit three more 3-pointers in the third quarter and shot 58.8 percent from the field in the quarter overall, extending their lead to 84-77 heading into the fourth.
NOTES: SG Dion Waiters was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week after averaging 23.3 points to lead Miami to a 4-0 record. ... Heat G Tyler Johnson (left shoulder) returned after being sidelined since Jan. 19. ... Heat G Josh Richardson (left foot), who is averaging 11.2 points, hasn't played since Jan. 6. That was the last of his 11 consecutive starts. ... Nets PG Jeremy Lin (left hamstring) is expected to miss another month. ... Nets SF Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who twisted his right ankle on Saturday, also returned. ... Brooklyn returns home to face the New York Knicks on Wednesday. ... After playing host to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, Miami won't face another team with a winning record until it travels to play the Houston Rockets on Feb. 15.