Nets Stifle Heat at Home, Bounce Back with Win

Coming off a poor defensive performance in Wednesday night's blowout loss to the Washington Wizards, the Brooklyn Nets bounced back with a 102-86 win over the Miami Heat. The matchup marked the third and final meeting between the Eastern Conference rivals this season, as Brooklyn finally got its revenge after falling to Miami twice in December and January.

Cam Johnson led the Nets with 18 and six rebounds in the bounce-back victory.

Having cut ties with Ben Simmons just hours before the contest, the product on both ends appeared extremely compromised early on. However, the offensive struggles wouldn't last long.

After conceding a 16-5 run to start the game, largely due to Kel'el Ware in the pick-and-roll, Brooklyn began to heat up. The hosts responded with an 18-3 run of their own fueled by Johnson and D'Angelo Russell, instantly shutting down any indication of a quick blowout.

The void left by Simmons appeared to be a massive hindrance at first, but as the first half continued, the Nets began to settle. They led by two heading into the second quarter while a back-and-forth Eastern Conference bout was in order.

While Brooklyn relied on a balanced attack that produced six players with at least five points, Miami turned to its veteran backup point guard. Terry Rozier, far removed from his glory days with the Boston Celtics, turned back the clock as the Nets' defense continued to break down.

Rozier owned 17 points at the halftime break, yet his unexpected heroics didn't impact the scoreboard much. The contest remained knotted heading into the third quarter.

The following 12 minutes offered more of the same, including technical fouls. Just two minutes out of the break, Jordi Fernandez was assessed a technical, the team's fourth of the evening. Russell, Trendon Watford and Keon Johnson were all hit with technical fouls of their own back in the second quarter.

Brooklyn trailed by three with as many minutes to go in the third frame, but mustered just four points through the remainder of the quarter. Miami nearly doubled the Nets' efforts, handing Fernandez and company a six-point hole down the stretch.

Presented with an opportunity to regain control over its rival, Brooklyn utilized the grit it has all season long. The Nets began the fourth quarter on a 9-2 run, capped off by a Russell top-of-the-key three.

With this newfound momentum, thanks to Day'Ron Sharpe and Tyrese Martin, a six-point deficit quickly turned into a seven-point advantage. At the 5:20 mark, Johnson swatted Tyler Herro's shot attempt to secure Brooklyn's 10th block of the evening, setting a new season-high.

The sequence continued what was an uncharacteristically rough night for Herro, the first-time All-Star, who'd finish with just 15 points, well short of his 23.9 points per game average. Courtesy of a major improvement on the defensive end, the advantage eventually rose to 11 as the Nets appeared primed to beat the Heat for the first time in three tries this season.

Johnson nailed a corner three with under two minutes to play, extending an already game-changing run to 11-0 while pulling ahead by 14. He'd then throw down a two-handed slam on a fastbreak, putting an exclamation point on an impressive all-around performance from the hosts.

Now back in the win column, Brooklyn shifts focus to another rematch from January. Next up: the Nets welcome the Charlotte Hornets to the Barclays Center looking to win their second in a row. That bout is slated for Monday at 7:30 p.m. EST.

To access the final box score from the Nets' win/loss to/over the Heat, click here.