Heat Look To Keep Rolling As Nets Come To Town
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MIAMI (CBSMiami/SportsDirect) – With 2015 winding down, the Miami Heat appear to be finally finding their identity.
The Heat locked down on the defensive end to pick up a win on Christmas and showed off their skills on the other end of the floor to grab another the next night.
The Heat will try to make it three straight when they return home to host the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.
Miami fought its way to an ugly 94-88 overtime triumph over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday and looked ready to slug it out again the next night before surging for 35 fourth-quarter points in a 108-101 victory at Orlando.
The Heat are winners of six of the last eight games, including a 104-98 win at Brooklyn on Dec. 16, in which they shot 53.3 percent from the field and got 28 points from Dwyane Wade.
The Nets dropped seven of their last eight games and could not keep pace down the stretch in a 111-96 home loss to the Washington Wizards on Saturday.
Brooklyn could be happy to hit the road after dropping six straight at home, and their last victory was a surprising 105-102 triumph at Chicago on Dec. 21.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), FSN Sun (Miami)
ABOUT THE NETS (8-22): Brooklyn is surrendering an average of 106.3 points in its last eight games and was outscored 32-19 in the fourth quarter on Saturday to let a close game slip away.
The Nets committed nine turnovers in the fourth quarter against Washington and got little help from the bench in the contest.
Reserve center Andrea Bargnani averaged 12.4 points in eight games after returning from a hamstring injury, including 10 in the Dec. 16 loss to Miami, but slumped to two points on 1-of-5 shooting on Saturday.
ABOUT THE HEAT (18-11): Star forward Chris Bosh matched a season low with seven points on 1-of-7 shooting in the win at Brooklyn on Dec. 16, but has steadily picked up his play in the last five games.
Bosh carried the team with 30 points and 10 rebounds in Friday's win over the Pelicans and made it back-to-back double-doubles with 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting and 10 boards in Saturday's triumph.
Wade scored 10 of his 24 points in the final 3:50 on Saturday and is supporting Bosh with an average of 20.2 points in the last five contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
- Nets C Brook Lopez recorded a double-double in three of the last four games.
- Miami F Luol Deng managed an average of 8.3 points on 9-of-26 shooting in the last three games.
- Brooklyn PG Jarrett Jack is 15-of-47 from the field over the last four contests.
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