Heat 105, Nets 85
NEW YORK -- LeBron James collected 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and Dwyane Wade hit for 21 points as Miami knocked off the Nets for the third time this season, 105-85, on Wednesday night at the Barclays Center.
The loss snapped an eight-game home winning streak for the Brooklyn and extended the Heat's streak of victories over the Nets to 13 in a row. It also marked the seventh straight time Miami (29-13) has topped the Nets (27-19) on the road.
Brook Lopez, named to the All-Star team as an injury replacement before the game, led the Nets with 21 points and seven rebounds.
James had nine points, four rebounds and three assists in the first quarter when Miami moved to a 30-20 lead.
Reserve center Andray Blatche came off the bench to spark the Nets in the second quarter. Blatche, who came into the game averaging 4.1 points, scored 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting as the Nets pulled even at 49-49 before the break. Blatche also had two rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot.
Meanwhile, James was scoreless in the period for Miami, including two missed free throws with 2:10 left.
The Nets closed out the half with a 14-3 run, led by Lopez, who scored eight points in the run. A Chris Bosh dunk off a pass from James made it 49-47 for the Heat before Deron Williams hit a jumper from the top of the key with 2.3 seconds to go.
James made up for his quiet second quarter in the third. The Heat reeled off 15 straight points, highlighted by a two-handed dunk by James, followed by his 3-pointer before Bosh's jumper gave the Heat a 73-57 lead.
Mario Chalmers came up with an unusual play for Miami in the third when he grabbed a rebound after he was knocked to a sitting position in the lane. He quickly passed the ball out to Wade who finished the play with a jumper and a 75-60 bulge.
Ray Allen's 3-pointer handed the Heat an 85-63 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
NOTES: Lopez was selected an Eastern Conference All-Star before the game by NBA commissioner David Stern. Lopez, making his first All-Star team, replaces Boston's Rajon Rondo, who has a season-ending knee injury. "It's a huge honor," Lopez said in tweets released by the Nets. "First and foremost, I couldn't have done it without my teammates." Lopez is the top-scoring center in the league, and he is the lone player in the NBA averaging at least 18 points, seven boards and two blocks per game. ... When asked if the appearance of Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov at the game might lead to having his interim status upgraded to permanent head coach, P.J. Carlesimo quipped: "I don't think he was sitting in Moscow the other day saying, 'You know, I have to go see P.J.' I think Miami and Chicago (Friday's opponent) had something to do with it." ... Williams, questionable before the game because he is suffering from the flu, started for the Nets. ... The Heat won both earlier meetings with the Nets, both in Miami, led by Wade, who scored a total of 56 points in those two games. Wade had 22 points in a 103-73 rout on Nov. 11 and dropped in 34 on Dec. 1 in a 102-89 triumph.
