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On a special night for Jason Kidd, the Nets defeat the Heat, 82-62

By Tom Lorenzo
Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sport

BROOKLYN - On a special night for the Brooklyn Nets franchise, in which the team retired Nets all-time great and current head coach Jason Kidd's No. 5 jersey, the Miami Heat were in town to play some preseason basketball. Sure, it didn't have the same overture as a regular season game, but anytime you line up against LeBron James the game means something. So the Nets' 86-62 win over the Heat certainly counts for something.

Early on, LeBron James heard nothing but boos from the Brooklyn fans each and every time he touched the ball. The sellout crowd made sure he knew that just because this was a preseason game they weren't going to treat it as such.

Both teams, however, didn't necessarily have the same energy as the fans, especially since, well, it's the preseason and they'll play again, in Miami, on the 25th of this month and then open the season at home in Brooklyn on November 1.

Neither Miami nor Brooklyn were able to get into much of a rhythm throughout the first half, with the Nets shooting 40.5 percent from the floor and the Heat shooting 29 percent, with Brooklyn carrying a 44-28 lead into the half.

The second half wasn't much prettier, though the Nets were able to maintain their double-digit lead throughout, getting it to as high as 20 points late in the third quarter.

LeBron James lacked much of the energy and drive you're used to seeing out of him, finishing the night with 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting and five rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes. It's the preseason.

Brook Lopez led the way for the Nets. scoring 14 points and pulling down five rebound in 23 minutes. Alan Anderson played well as the team's backup point guard, finishing with 12 points, while Paul Pierce went for six points, six rebounds and seven assists, playing some point-forward.

The three-point shooting was pretty bad for the Nets, if you're looking to complain about something. They finished the game 7-of-28 from beyond the arc, with Pierce making just 1-of-7 and Mirza Teletovic missing all six of his attempts.

Once again, the Nets were without Deron Williams, Jason Terry, Andrei Kirilenko and Tyshawn Taylor, while the Heat were without Dwyane Wade.

It was a nice win for the Nets, but we're still not able to judge just how these teams will pair up against each other since neither were at full force. And it's not as if the Nets were either, which isn't to say they won't be able to handle the Heat in this similar fashion during the regular season.

For more on the Miami Heat, see: Hot Hot Hoops

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Preseason Game 5: Brooklyn Nets vs. Miami Heat, 8:00 PM

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