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Heat burn Nets in Brooklyn, 104-98

By Anthony Puccio
William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports

BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- ‘Embarrassed' has been the theme around the Brooklyn Nets after losing by 23 to the Orlando Magic on Monday night.

‘Embarrassed' shouldn't be the word to describe Wednesday night's 104-98 loss to the Miami Heat, but still, a loss is a loss.

The Nets are now 7-18 on the season and cap off the six-game home stand with a 2-4 record, including a three-game losing streak. They played the last nine games in New York, though, as they played at Madison Square Garden early in December.

This was a close game throughout. The Heat out-scored the Nets 33-20 in the second quarter and once led by as many as 10, but failed to run away with the lead despite Brooklyn's backup unit playing a good portion of the third quarter. It was only a six-point Heat lead headed into the fourth quarter.

But good teams find ways to close out games. The Heat, a good team, found a way to close this out. The Nets are not a very good team, thus why they failed dig this one out.

The Heat went on an 11-2 run late in the fourth quarter and extended the lead to 10 with less than five minutes remaining. The Nets went on a mini run of their own and cut the deficit down to three, but Dwyane Wade nailed a dagger turnaround to go up five with under 50 seconds left.

Hassan Whiteside and Dwyane Wade were just too much for the Nets to handle. Whiteside finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds, while Wade put home 28 points on 13-of-17 shooting with Bojan Bogdanovic covering him throughout.

Brook Lopez, who was 11-of-14 through three quarters, didn't check in until the six-minute mark. He attempted just TWO shots in the fourth quarter and finished with 25 points on the night on 12-of-16 shooting.

This is the face of the team. He NEEDS more than two shots in the fourth quarter, especially when he hits 11 of his first 14 field goals. He even took the blame for Monday night's embarrassing loss and came into tonight with a purpose. He scored more points in the first quarter than he did all of Monday night.

"That's the way it goes when you're moving the ball and sharing the ball," Lopez said of the lack of shots. "Different guys are going to get going and give you different looks."

While Brook was a solid citizen about it, Joe Johnson wasn't exactly sure why Brook wasn't getting the shots.

"I mean, it's designed for us to play through him, but I don't know," Johnson explained. "I really don't know what happened, who was shooting, honestly."

The Nets turned the ball over only six times, but shot 26 percent from three and scored just 20 points in the fourth quarter. The effort was there for three quarters, but again, they failed to find a way.

Jarrett Jack had a nice night with 22 points and 10 assists, while Wayne Ellington chipped in 12 off the bench.

The Nets will face the Indiana Pacers Friday night.

More Miscommunication:

The Nets were down five with under 35 seconds left, Heat possession. Obviously in a situation like that, you'd assume they should foul. In the post-game press conference, Coach Hollins said he told his guys to foul. After talking to the players, all had confused looks on their face with different responses. Would they have won? Probably not. But it's the miscommunication that continues to occur between the coaches and players.

"I told them that we needed to foul - I mean, come on," Hollins said. "You got to foul. I got caught looking at something else, and when I looked over everybody is looking at me - but that kind of stuff happens."

This is the third time of the season that a miscommunication occurred between the coaches and players, which is clearly no help for the 7-18 Nets. Miscommunication or no accountability from the coaches or players? You be the judge.

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For more on the Miami Heat, check them out at Hot Hot Hoops.

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