MIAMI – Brooklyn has achieved another victory. Now the Nets have to hope for good news from Kevin Durant.
Royce O’Neale’s putback by 3.2 seconds got Brooklyn to stay, and the Nets beat the Miami Heat 102-101 on Sunday night in a game that saw Durant knock out in the third quarter with a right knee injury.
“The right knee will be checked tomorrow and then hopefully I’ll have more information,” said Nets coach Jacque Vaughn.
Durant awaited his teammates after the grand finale and punched them all as they headed into the locker room. Vaughn said he didn’t ask Durant how he was feeling, although Kyrie Irving said his friend was in good spirits.
Durant went 36.6 seconds clear in the third quarter, not long after apparently injuring himself on a drive by Miami’s Jimmy Butler. Durant grabbed his right knee after Butler, who had just skied to the basket, landed with his back to Durant and fell into him.
“These plays are scary because if someone isn’t looking at what’s going on, anything can happen in those moments,” Irving said. “So I’m grateful for all the time he spent in the weight room getting his body into a great position and his body was able to save him from something worse.”
Durant scored two big hits in the second half. He also grabbed the knee after being called out for an offensive foul on a drive where he collided with Miami’s Kyle Lowry at 7:57 in the third.
“You never want to see him go down like that,” Vaughn said. “Actually every player. Pretty tough clash but you have to give our group credit for sticking with it.”
Irving scored 29 points to lead the Nets, who have won 18 of their last 20 – after winning just nine of their first 20 games. Durant had 17 before leaving and Seth Curry scored 14 for Brooklyn.
Nic Claxton had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Nets.
Butler scored 26 for Miami, who received 24 from Tyler Herro. Butler missed a contested shot to the rim on the last play of the game. and Herro was also shaken before limping away – replays show he may have slipped.
“Jimmy played absolutely the right game,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra after the team unsuccessfully argued for a foul.
Spoelstra said Herro indicated after the game that he was fine but the team will know more on Monday. Limited in the second half with a right hand bruise – X-rays were negative – Bam Adebayo scored 10 for Miami, as did Max Strus and Haywood Highsmith.
Brooklyn led 66-64 at halftime, with Irving leading the Nets with 24 and both teams shooting well — 54% for Miami, 57% for Brooklyn.
And then, in the third, the defenses showed up.
Brooklyn was 28% for the quarter, Miami was 25%, and the Heat outplayed the Nets 18-13 during that period to take a three-point lead going into the fourth quarter.
Miami led by as many as nine points in the final quarter, rising 101-100 on back-to-back baskets from Butler late but couldn’t contain the rebound on Irving’s missed 30-foot throw in the final seconds. O’Neale got the rebound and converted it into the eventual winner.
“I was just right to finish it,” O’Neale said.
TIP INS
Nets: Claxton blocked three shots and has at least three blocks in six straight games. Only the Lakers’ Anthony Davis has managed that this season, and no Nets player has done so since Shawn Bradley had two separate 11-game streaks in 1996.
Heat: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was in attendance, as was DJ Khaled. … Caleb Martin (left quadriceps) was out. …Lowry and Victor Oladipo were each 2 for 10. …Miami is 21-20 at halfway point in the season.
PERMANENT MILESTONE
Durant needed just two points to overtake Dominique Wilkins (26,668) for 14th on the NBA’s career scorers list. At 17 on Sunday, Durant is up to 26,684.
He is 26 points clear of No. 13 Oscar Robertson (26,710).
playoffs
The Miami Dolphins are on a five-game losing streak and will face Buffalo in the NFL wildcard round this weekend. If the Heat make the playoffs this season, it will be the first time since 2009 that Miami’s NBA and NFL teams will play postseason games in the same year.
“It’s been great for the city,” said Spoelstra, who spent a day with the Dolphins during their training camp. “I just enjoy seeing teams come together, especially when there’s adversity, and figuring out some things.”
NEXT
Nets: Host Boston on Thursday.
Heat: host Oklahoma City on Tuesday.
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