Johnson Scores 26, Heat Beat Lowly Nets For 13th Straight
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NEW YORK (AP) — James Johnson scored a season-high 26 points and the Miami Heat won their 13th straight game, beating the beleaguered Brooklyn Nets 108-99 on Friday night.
Goran Dragic had 21 points and Tyler Johnson added 18 for the Heat, who played without Dion Waiters and trailed by 11 in the third quarter.
Miami's winning streak, the third-best in team history, is currently the longest in the NBA. It is the top streak in league annals by a team under .500 throughout, and the best that began with a club at least 19 games below .500.
Miami was only 11-30 when the run started with a 109-103 victory over Houston on Jan. 17.
Brook Lopez scored 30 points for the Nets, who lost their 11th in a row.
The Nets opened their biggest lead, 67-56, on Lopez's short jumper with 7:24 left in the third. Miami, however, used an 18-5 surge to take a 74-72 lead into the fourth.
The game was tied 83-all before the Heat went on an 11-2 run to take the lead for good. The spurt was capped by Okaro White's 3-pointer with 5:05 remaining.
Brooklyn pulled to 102-97 on Rondae Hollis-Jefferson's layup with 1:27 left, but Dragic hit a short basket with 43 seconds to go and the Nets never got any closer.
Brooklyn shot only 31.8 percent (7 of 22) in the opening quarter but was able to erase a six-point deficit and take a 22-20 lead after the first 12 minutes.
The Nets took their biggest lead of the first half, 43-35, on Lopez's three-point play with 5:27 left.
The Heat pulled within a point on two occasions late in the quarter and trailed 53-49 at halftime.
Rodney McGruder had 11 points and White scored 10 for the Heat.
Randy Foye had 15 points and Bojan Bogdanovic added 10 for the Nets.
TIP-INS
Heat: Waiters missed his second straight game with a sprained left ankle. . The Heat have been spreading their success throughout the roster, with eight players averaging in double figures and 11 having started at least five games.
Nets: Over their last 30 games, the Nets have held only one opponent under 100 points. The Knicks scored only 95 against them on Feb. 1, but New York still won as the Nets could only muster 90. Brooklyn is currently last in the league in points allowed per game (114.1).
MIAMI MASTERY
The Heat have beaten the Nets five straight times and in 10 of the last 11 meetings, including all three games this season. The Nets last defeated the Heat on Dec. 28, 2015, a 111-105 victory in Miami.
HOME-COURT DISADVANTAGE
The Nets have lost the first two of their current four-game homestand. Overall, they are winless in 14 straight games at Barclays Center. Brooklyn has won an NBA-low seven home games this season.
UP NEXT
Heat: Miami visits Philadelphia on Saturday. The teams have split their two meetings this season. The 76ers won 101-94 in Philadelphia on Nov. 21, and the Heat were victorious 125-102 last Saturday in Miami. They will meet again on March 1 in Miami.
Nets: Brooklyn hosts Memphis on Monday, the first meeting of the season between the teams. They play again in Memphis on March 6. The Grizzlies have won four straight in the series. The Nets last defeated Memphis on March 5, 2014.
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