Nets at Heat
The Brooklyn Nets have lost two in a row in ugly fashion against teams chasing them in the Eastern Conference playoff race and will try to avoid a third such setback when they visit the Miami Heat on Saturday. After posting an impressive 16-point win over San Antonio on Monday to begin their three-game homestand, the Nets gave up an average of 124 points in back-to-back losses to Washington and Charlotte.
Brooklyn shot 51.2 percent but had little answer on the other end of the floor in Friday's 123-112 setback against the Hornets, leaving it one game in front of Detroit and two ahead of Charlotte for sixth place in the East. "Sixty-eight points we gave up two games in a row in the first half, so that's really where it starts," Nets coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters on Friday. "It starts on the defensive end. I know we're going to talk about lineups and guys coming back from injury, but we can do a much better job defensively." The Heat sit 1 1/2 games out of a playoff spot after dropping a 121-118 decision at Houston on Thursday, their 10th loss in 13 games. Saturday's contest begins a stretch during which Miami plays seven of eight at home, although it is just 12-18 there - including 5-11 against East opponents.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), FS Sun (Miami)
ABOUT THE NETS (32-32): A bright spot in the loss to the Hornets was the solid return of guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who recorded 15 points and four assists after missing the previous 14 games due to thumb surgery. He was part of a group of reserves that combined to go 19-for-34 from the floor and was led by forward DeMarre Carroll, who finished with 20 points and five rebounds. Saturday marks the beginning of a stretch that will see Brooklyn play nine of 12 on the road.
ABOUT THE HEAT (27-34): Opponents are averaging 122.3 points over Miami's last four games, and Rockets superstar James Harden went off for 58 points in Thursday's matchup, which saw the Heat blow a double-digit lead in the final six-plus minutes. "Obviously, (Harden) had the ball a lot and his teammates made timely plays when they needed to," guard Dwyane Wade told reporters. "They just got it going, and defensively, we weren't as good as we were early on in the game when we had that lead, and that allowed them to come back." Hassan Whiteside (hip) missed his second straight contest while James Johnson (shoulder) was sidelined for the fourth game in a row.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Nets PG D'Angelo Russell and Dinwiddie combined for 36 points, 13 assists and five steals in a 102-94 win in the previous meeting on Nov. 20 at Miami.
2. Heat PG Goran Dragic is averaging 24 points on 52.2 percent shooting over his last two games after producing a total of 14 points on 7-of-18 shooting in his previous two contests.
3. Brooklyn has won four of the last five meetings.