3 Nets takeaways from 124-98 loss at Heat
· Yahoo Sports
The Brooklyn Nets (15-46) went into Miami on Tuesday hoping to notch their first win since returning from the All-Star break, especially with the Miami Heat (33-29) missing All-Star forward Norman Powell. Brooklyn even regained center Nic Claxton after he missed one game due to a right thumb sprain, but the Nets just couldn't get anything going on either end of the floor.
The Nets lost to the Heat 124-98 thanks to their poor showing on both ends of the court combined with the fact that forward Michael Porter Jr. had arguably his worst game of the season. Porter finished the contest with nine points on 3-of-17 shooting from the field and 0-for-9 from three-point land in 27 minutes played against one of the best defenses in the league in Miami.
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Brooklyn wasn't too far behind Miami after trailing 34-28 heading into the second quarter, but the Heat opened up a 16-point lead in the second quarter and the Nets weren't able to recover in any significant capacity. The offensive end was a struggle for Brooklyn, but the defensive end was more of an issue as they allowed center Bam Adebayo to finish with 23 points, nine rebounds, and six steals.
The pace of the game was also an issue for the Nets as they fell behind in the fastbreak points battle 23-13 given how determined Miami was to get up and down the floor. Forward Noah Clowney had one of his better games in recent memory as he finished with 17 points and seven rebounds while forward Ziaire Williams came off the bench to post 16 points and two steals in 23 minutes.
In addition to Adebayo, the Nets also had issues defending guard Tyler Herro (22 points) and forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. (20 points, four assists). Brooklyn will have another shot to beat the Heat in the last game of the season series on Thursday, but if they are going to upset Miami, they will have to be better on both ends of the floor against a playoff-level team in the Eastern Conference.
Here are three Nets takeaways from Tuesday's loss at the Heat:
Michael Porter Jr. Struggles Mightily
While Porter has been relatively good over the past couple of games, this game was a bit different for him as it very well could be his worst performance of the season considering all of the circumstances. Porter finished the game with just nine points on 3-of-17 shooting from the field and 0-for-9 from three-point land and head coach Jordi Fernandez had to pull him early in the third quarter due to how much he was struggling.
Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf Can't Take Care Of The Basketball
Traore has been playing solid basketball for the Nets since he entered the starting lineup, but Tuesday's game showed what could be the next aspect of his game to work on when it comes to his ball security. While the Heat are one of the best defensive teams in the league along with playing at the fastest pace, Traore and Saraf looked sped up to the point that they couldn't run the offense the way that they had been doing coming into this matchup.
Danny Wolf Continues Playing Well Off The Bench
Wolf had his best month of the season in February and part of the reason why is how much the game has slowed down for him compared to the beginning of the campaign. Wolf played well against the Heat in spite of his three-point shot not being much of a factor and that is more encouraging for a player like Wolf because Fernandez is asking him to do multiple things whenever he's on the floor.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: 3 Nets takeaways from 124-98 loss at Heat