Nets defeat Heat, trail Conference Semifinals 2-1
Andray Blatche came off the bench and put up 15 points and recorded 10 rebounds to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a victory over the Miami Heat, 104-90. The Nets shot lights out, finishing 38-72 (52.8%) from the field, including 15-25 (60.0%) from beyond the arc. The Conference Semifinals now stand at 2-1.
Blatche went 5-10 from the field and converted 5-6 from the free throw line. Other key performers for Brooklyn were Joe Johnson with 19 points and six assists, Mirza Teletovic with 12 points and six rebounds, and Kevin Garnett with 10 points and seven rebounds. LeBron James had another strong game for Miami in the loss, putting up 28 points on 8-15 shooting (3-7 on 3-point attempts), in addition to going 9-10 from the free throw line. He also tallied eight rebounds and five assists.
In terms of eFG%, Brooklyn dominated Game 3, topping the Heat 63.2%-51.5% in that metric. The Nets combined their stellar eFG% with 60.0% shooting from behind the arc. As a comparison, they were 12-5 during the regular season when registering marks above 55% and 40% in those respective statistics. The Heat, on the other hand, were 4-10 when allowing opponents to hit those marks.
Brooklyn still trails in the series 2-1, but get another opportunity for a win over Miami at home in Game 4 of the Conference Semifinals.
