MIAMI (AP) — Brooklyn obtained an additional earn. Now the Nets have to hope for very good information on Kevin Durant.
Royce O’Neale’s putback with 3.2 seconds remaining set Brooklyn to stay, and the Nets beat the Miami Heat 102-101 on Sunday night time in a game exactly where Durant left in the third quarter with a proper knee personal injury.
“Right knee, he’ll get evaluated tomorrow and then ideally I’ll have some additional facts,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn stated. “Most possible it will consist of imaging, just to make certain we’re excellent.”
Durant was awaiting his teammates just after the big finish, giving them all fist bumps as they walked into the locker area. Vaughn reported he did not check with Durant how he was emotion, though Kyrie Irving said his friend was in excellent spirits.
Durant left with 36.6 seconds remaining in the third quarter, not lengthy after he appeared to get hurt on a push by Miami’s Jimmy Butler. Durant grabbed at his suitable knee following Butler, who had just pushed to the basket, landed with his again to Durant and fell into him.
“Those plays are terrifying, simply because when someone’s not looking what’s going on, something can occur in people times,” Irving claimed. “So I’m grateful for all that time he’s place in the body weight place placing his human body in a good posture, and his entire body was able to help you save him from a thing even worse.”
Durant took two significant hits in the 2nd 50 percent. He also grabbed at the knee soon after currently being termed for an offensive foul on a drive where he collided with Miami’s Kyle Lowry with 7:57 remaining in the 3rd.
“You never want to see him go down like that,” Vaughn said. “Any player, for that make a difference. Very challenging collision, but you’ve obtained to give our group credit score for being with it.”
Irving scored 29 to lead the Nets, who have gained 18 of their final 20 — soon after profitable only nine of their initial 20 game titles. Durant experienced 17 just before departing and Seth Curry scored 14 for Brooklyn.
Nic Claxton experienced 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Nets.
Butler scored 26 for Miami, which acquired 24 from Tyler Herro. Butler missed a contested shot at the rim on the game’s closing enjoy, and Herro was shaken up on it as very well in advance of limping off — replays showing he may have slipped.
“Jimmy built the complete appropriate participate in,” Warmth coach Erik Spoelstra claimed, just after the crew argued for a foul to no avail.
Spoelstra explained Herro indicated postgame that he was great, but the group will know additional Monday. Bam Adebayo was limited in the next 50 percent due to the fact of a proper hand contusion — X-rays had been unfavorable — and scored 10 for Miami, as did Max Strus and Haywood Highsmith.
Brooklyn led 66-64 at the 50 %, with Irving foremost the Nets with 24 and the groups equally shooting effectively — 54% for Miami, 57% for Brooklyn.
And then in the 3rd, the defenses showed up.
Brooklyn shot 28% in the quarter, Miami 25%, and the Heat outscored the Nets 18-13 in the interval to just take a a few-issue guide into the fourth.
Miami led by as several as 9 in the last quarter, went up 101-100 on back again-to-again baskets by Butler late, but could not corral the rebound on Irving’s skipped 30-footer in the final seconds. O’Neale got the rebound and turned it into the eventual winner.
“I was just correct there to finish it,” O’Neale mentioned.
Idea-INS
Nets: Claxton blocked three shots and has at the very least three blocks in six consecutive video games. Only the Lakers’ Anthony Davis has accomplished that this season, and no Nets player has carried out that given that Shawn Bradley had two independent 11-recreation streaks in 1996.
Warmth: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was in attendance, as was DJ Khaled. … Caleb Martin (remaining quadriceps pressure) was out. … Lowry and Victor Oladipo just about every had been 2 for 10. … Miami is 21-20 at the season’s midway point.
DURANT MILESTONE
Durant desired just two details to pass Dominique Wilkins (26,668) for 14th on the NBA’s profession scoring listing. With 17 on Sunday, Durant is up to 26,684.
He’s 26 points absent from No. 13 Oscar Robertson (26,710).
PLAYOFFS
The Miami Dolphins snapped a 5-recreation dropping streak and will perform Buffalo in the NFL wild-card spherical this weekend. If the Warmth make the playoffs this year, it’ll mark the initially time since 2009 that Miami’s NBA and NFL teams engage in postseason game titles in the same calendar year.
“It’s been excellent for the metropolis,” stated Spoelstra, who put in a day with the Dolphins throughout their instruction camp. “I just appreciate observing teams come together, specifically when there is adversity and figuring some matters out.”
UP Upcoming
Nets: Host Boston on Thursday.
Heat: Host Oklahoma City on Tuesday.
Copyright 2023 The Connected Press. All rights reserved. This substance might not be printed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
