Nets at Heat
The Miami Heat are off to their second-worst 16-game start in the past dozen years and look to begin a turnaround when they host the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday. Struggling Miami has dropped five of its last six games to fall to 6-10, just slightly better than the 5-11 start two seasons ago.
The Heat dropped a 113-97 decision to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday and frustration was evident when guard Josh Richardson threw his shoe into the crowd after a non-foul call to draw an ejection. "It was a series of events," Richardson told reporters afterward. "I got caught up. I wasn't really thinking about much. I was thinking about how frustrated I was. And going forward I can't let that happen." Brooklyn has lost four of its last five games and allowed 37 points in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 127-119 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Nets have experienced issues on defense by giving up 120 or more points in three of the past four games.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), FS Sun (Miami)
ABOUT THE NETS (7-10): Second-year center Jarrett Allen scored a career-best 24 points to go with 11 rebounds against the Clippers and has posted back-to-back double-doubles for the second time this season. Allen already has five double-doubles this season after recording just four as a rookie and coach Kenny Atkinson likes the progress he's seeing from the 20-year-old. "Fantastic," Atkinson told reporters. "He's all over the place. I should have played him more. He was really good. His offensive rebounding has been unexpected and a pleasant surprise. If he can keep that up it's really going to help us."
ABOUT THE HEAT (6-10): Point guard Goran Dragic had his swollen right knee drained on Monday and will miss at least three more games on top of the Lakers' game he sat out on Sunday. "I was relieved it was just fluids," Dragic told reporters. "They got the fluid out this morning and from here on I just need to rest a little bit and get back out there." Dragic has missed four of the past nine games due to the issues and coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters, "we knew it wasn’t serious but we knew it was something that needed to be taken care of."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Heat never trailed while recording a 120-107 road win over the Nets on Nov. 14.
2. Miami F James Johnson (sports hernia surgery) made his season debut on Sunday and had eight points in 15 minutes.
3. Brooklyn G Spencer Dinwiddie had just 11 points on 3-of-16 shooting against the Clippers after scoring a season high-tying 25 points one night earlier against the Washington Wizards.