Brooklyn Nets vs. Miami Heat 01-25-17 ScoreThe Brooklyn Nets got defeated 109-106 in an embarrassing fashion Wednesday night against the Miami Heat. Brooklyn held an 18 point lead going into the fourth quarter before only scoring 17 point in the quarter and allowing Miami to score 38.
Brook Lopez and the Nets were dominant in the first half as Brooklyn was up 66-55 and Brook Lopez already had 26 point and six three-pointers under his belt. Lopez ended the game as the leading scorer, but he only scored seven points in the second half, ending with 33 in total.
For Miami, Dion Waiters led the way with 24 points. Waiters also dished out eight assists and grabbed five rebounds on the night. Former Net, Wayne Ellington, had a big night off of the bench scoring 22 points on 8-15 shooting and 4-7 from the field. Despite his good night, he still got crossed up bad by Caris LeVert and fell all the way down to the baseline.
This game was the perfect example of Nets basketball this season. Play really well and crush all hopes of grabbing a win in the last 12-20 minutes of the game. How does a team blow an 18 point lead in a quarter?
Grading the Players
No Brooklyn Net deserves an A in this game just because of the lead that they blew and the lack of defense and offense in the final frame.
Brook Lopez, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Caris LeVert all get B’s on the night. Lopez should have gotten an A until he scored only seven second-half points and making only one of his many attempted three’s. Lopez also did not wow anybody with his rebounding or his defense. What should have been a career night for Lopez fizzled into a disappointing one.
Spencer Dinwiddie, despite being a part of the squad on the floor when Miami took the lead and Brooklyn could not score, had a pretty good night. Dinwiddie scored ten points but also grabbed five rebounds and dished out four assists. With Isaiah Whitehead going 0-5 from the field, Dinwiddie, to some fans’ dismay, probably kept his starting job a little while longer.
Caris LeVert had a good night from normal shooting range. The rookie scored 12 points on 4-8 shooting, but 1-5 from long range. That made him 3-3 from inside the arc. The one trey he did hit was the aforementioned crossover on Wayne Ellington that made him fall down and slide a good distance. LeVert even showed his vision in this game, too, dishing out four assists. The rookie played in 26 minutes so hopefully we see him starting here soon.
What should have been a great night for the Nets and their fans turned out to be a really sour one. Up big on Miami with Brook Lopez dominating the floor, Brooklyn got tired or complacent or whatever it was that led to yet another fourth quarter meltdown.
Brooklyn will look to rebound from one of the more embarrassing endings to a game this season when they travel to Cleveland to take on the struggling Cavaliers. Knowing the Nets’ luck, the Cavs will have everything figured out and come out firing Friday when they meet. Miami will travel to Chicago to take on the also struggling Bulls also Friday night.