Mikal Bridges has scored 27 factors, and Brooklyn opened the third quarter with a 31-6 run on the best way to rolling previous Miami 129-100 and leapfrogging the Heat again into the No.6 spot within the Eastern Conference standings.
Cam Johnson added 23 factors on Saturday night time and Spencer Dinwiddie scored 15 for the Nets (40-34), who snapped a five-game slide. They’re solely a half-game up on Miami (40-35) within the race for the sixth and closing assured playoff berth, however swept the Heat 3-0 this season and would additionally personal a head-to-head tiebreaker.
Max Strus scored 23 for the hosts, all of them within the first half. Tyler Herro added 23, Jimmy Butler had 18 and Bam Adebayo completed with 16 for Miami, who have been outscored 64-31 after halftime.
It was Brooklyn’s second journey to Miami this season. The first was January 8 — which ended up being the final time Kevin Durant performed for Brooklyn, and the final time Durant and Kyrie Irving performed collectively. Durant left that recreation with a knee damage, then received traded to Phoenix, and Irving has since been dealt to Dallas, as nicely.
The Nets have been 27-13 after that night time, second within the East, only a recreation behind Boston for one of the best document within the NBA. They’re 13-21 since, but nonetheless have the Heat wanting up at them within the standings — which Vaughn insists he hasn’t mentioned together with his group.
“You need the momentum, the confidence, the reassurance that you can get it done,” Vaughn stated.
“So, haven’t tried to complicate it more than that.”
In Atlanta, John Collins led eight Hawks scorers in double figures with 21 factors and the house facet overcame Jordan Nwora’s season-high 33 factors to beat the Indiana Pacers 143-130.
The Hawks set a season scoring excessive regardless of the lack of Trae Young, who was ejected within the third quarter.
The Hawks (37-37) protected their shaky maintain on the No.8 spot within the East. They started the day a half-game forward of No.9 Toronto and one recreation forward of No.10 Chicago within the tight competitors for place within the Play-In event.
Young was ejected after firing an unusually arduous go to referee Scott Wall throughout a timeout. Wall caught the ball. Young was instantly referred to as for a technical foul and ejected.
“It’s just a play he can’t make,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder stated.
“I told him that. He knows it.”
Only seconds earlier, Young, who had 14 factors and 5 assists, had an obvious three-pointer disallowed when he was referred to as for a technical foul for protruding his leg and tripping Aaron Nesmith. The technical foul was Young’s fifteenth of the season and a sixteenth leads to an computerized one-game suspension.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
