Bam Adebayo had 24 points and nine rebounds to lead the Miami Heat to a 106-93 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night.
Jimmy Butler scored 17 points for Miami (3-1). PJ Tucker scored 15 points, and Tyler Herro and Dewayne Dedmon each contributed 14 points.
As the favorite to win the NBA championship, Brooklyn alternated between wins and losses in the first five games of the season, dropping to 2-3. Kevin Durant had 25 points and 11 rebounds.
Joe Harris contributed 15 points on 5-of-15 shooting, including 5-of-11 from three-point range. With his third three-pointer of the game, Harris overtook Jason Kidd as the career leader in the team's three-point shooting percentage.
James Harden scored 14 points and Bruce Brown scored 12.
The first of four regular-season matchups between Eastern Conference rivals contrasted stylistically, with the flamboyant, fast-paced, high-scoring Nets playing against a physically fit Heat.
Despite forcing the Nets to play a possession game for most of the first half, the Heat trailed 51-49 in the first half. Miami scored more on the inside than Brooklyn (30-20), had more second chances to score (15-2) and had a decisive advantage in rebounds (35-25).
What the Heat didn't have, however, was a combination of Durant and Harden, who scored 25 points in 51 minutes at halftime. Durant also grabbed eight rebounds, while Harden contributed three rebounds and three assists.
Miami stuck to its course and paid off in the third quarter as the Heat led the Nets 32-23 and headed into the fourth quarter with an 81-74 lead. The Heat extended their lead to 88-77 before Narrowing the score to 90-84 in a 7-2 spurt.
After the timeout, Durant stared at Butler, who shot a three-pointer to give Brooklyn a three-pointer. When the Heat pulled away and Adebayor made two thunderous dunks, the Nets were coming.
In this game, the Heat led Brooklyn 48-34 on the inside and scored another 27 points (31-4), and the Nets led 62-42.
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Heat: Going into Wednesday, the Heat limited their opponents' three-point shooting to 27 percent, but averaged 41 three-point shots per game. "It was similar last year," coach Eric Spoorstra said. "Honestly, we haven't fully considered it yet. We are working on it. I don't like to give up so many threes (but) you can't take everything. This game is different from five, six or seven years ago. We are still working on this issue. ”
Nets: In four games, Durant averaged 31 points and 23 assists per game (5.75 per game). "I think Kevin took on more of a leadership role when the ball was in his hands," coach Steve Nash said before the game. ''He found a good balance between the points and assists that were still ahead of us. Look for his teammates. For such a talented, time-honored scorer, he is truly an altruistic player. I think — in his head, in his heart — he'll be happy to pass the ball all night if he succeeds. I think he shoots more when he needs to. ''
next:
Heat: Home to Charlotte on Friday night.
Nets: Home to Indiana on Friday night.