Five takeaways from the Miami Heat’s 126-110 win over the Brooklyn Nets (15-47) on Thursday night at Kaseya Center to extend its winning streak to three games and close its three-game homestand at a perfect 3-0. The Heat (34-29) now hits the road to take on the scorching Charlotte Hornets on Friday at Spectrum Center (7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun) to complete the back-to-back set:
After getting a 26-point win over the struggling Nets on Tuesday, Thursday’s matchup against the Nets didn’t go as smoothly. But the Heat still won by 16 despite foul trouble that kept starting center Bam Adebayo on the bench for most of the second half.
The Heat led by as many as 14 points in Thursday’s first half, but the Nets made a run late in the second quarter to enter halftime trailing by only four points.
The Nets took that momentum into the third quarter, beginning the second half on a 13-5 run to take a four-point lead over the Heat.
The Heat also had to play most of the third quarter without starting center Bam Adebayo because of foul trouble. Adebayo was called for his fifth foul with 6:56 left in the third quarter and spent the rest of the period on the bench.
But the Heat actually was able to take back momentum from the Nets even with Adebayo out of the game. The score was tied at 72 with Adebayo went to the bench with 6:56 left in the third quarter, and the Heat went on to close the period on a 23-11 run to take a 12-point lead into the fourth quarter.
The Heat extended its lead up to 24 points in the fourth quarter, and found itself ahead by 15 points when Adebayo finally re-entered the game with 4:43 to play. The Heat was in control the rest of the way, handing the Nets their 10th straight loss.
Heat backup center Kel’el Ware proved to be an effective fill-in for Adebayo on Thursday, stuffing the box score with 16 points, 11 rebounds, five steals and seven blocks in 32 minutes in the win. The seven blocks are a new career-high for Ware.
Adebayo was also effective in his minutes, finishing with 21 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in 25 minutes.
Herro added a team-high 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field, 2-of-7 shooting on threes and 5-of-5 shooting from the foul line, four rebounds and five assists in 31 minutes.
Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with a game high 27 points, but shot just 7 of 18 on threes.
With the Heat missing two of its top three-point shooters, the Nets finished with a big edge in points from three-point range. But Miami negated that deficit by dominating in the paint and at the foul line.
Norman Powell (team-high 139 made threes this season) and Simone Fontecchio (third-most made threes on the team this season with 99) were unavailable for the Heat on Thursday because of groin strains.
Without Powell and Fontecchio, the Nets outscored the Heat 48-27 from three-point range.
The Nets shot 16 of 40 (40 percent) on threes and the Heat finished 9 of 27 (33.3 percent) from behind the arc.
But the Heat overcame that hole by outscoring the Nets 68-48 in the paint and 21-12 at the foul line.
Along with missing Powell and Fontecchio, the Heat was also without Vlad Goldin (G League), Keshad Johnson (G League), Nikola Jovic (low back injury management) and Terry Rozier (not with team) on Thursday.
The Heat again played centers Adebayo and Ware together, but their time together was limited by Adebayo’s foul trouble
For the third straight game, the Heat used the double-big look of Adebayo and Ware.
After the Heat outscored the Houston Rockets by 21 points in the 16 minutes that Adebayo and Ware played together on Saturday and outscored the Nets by eight points in the 15 minutes they played together on Tuesday, Adebayo and Ware again produced positive results on Thursday.
The Heat outscored the Nets by 12 points in the nine minutes that Adebayo and Ware played together. But they only shared the court for 1:31 in the second half because of Adebayo’s foul trouble.
Prior to this two-game stretch, Adebayo and Ware logged just three minutes together over the previous four games.
Since Feb. 8, the Heat has outscored opponents by 109 points in the 82 minutes that Adebayo and Ware have played together. This is noteworthy, considering the Heat had been outscored by 7.5 points per 100 possessions in the 266 minutes that the 6-foot-9 Adebayo and 7-foot Ware played together this season prior to Feb. 8.
But Adebayo and Ware again opened Thursday’s game in separate units.
With Powell missing his third straight game because of a strained right groin, the Heat went with the starting lineup of Davion Mitchell, Tyler Herro, Pelle Larsson, Andrew Wiggins and Bam Adebayo for the third consecutive game.
The Heat then used a bench rotation of Ware, Jaquez, Kasparas Jakucionis and Dru Smith.
Jakucionis, a 19-year-old rookie, again flashed his intriguing upside.
Jakucionis has become a fixture in the Heat’s bench rotation, as Thursday marked his 35th appearance in the last 37 games. He has also logged double-digit minutes in 29 of those 35 appearances.
This comes after Jakcuionis played only 53.7 seconds in the NBA through the Heat’s first 26 games of the season.
Jakucionis continues to make the most his opportunities, finishing Thursday’s win with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field and 3-of-7 shooting on threes, six rebounds and three assists in 21 minutes off the Heat’s bench.
Jakucionis has taken advantage of the opportunity, impressing his coaches and teammates with his energy, defensive pressure, playmaking ability and improved three-point shooting.
After Thursday’s victory, Jakucionis is shooting an efficient 44 of 100 (44 percent) from three-point range in his rookie season.
Jakucionis, who was selected by the Heat with the 20th overall pick in this year’s draft, was part of a Heat bench that outscored the Nets’ reserves 54-34 on Thursday.
The Heat will go from facing one of the worst teams in the NBA on Thursday to taking on the hottest team in the league in an important game on Friday.
The Heat will travel to play the Hornets in Charlotte on Friday night on the back end of a back-to-back set.
While the Nets’ 10-game skid is the longest active losing streak in the league, the Hornets’ string of six consecutive victories is the longest active winning streak in the NBA.
Led by guard LaMelo Ball, rookie guard Kon Knueppel and third-year forward Brandon Miller, the Hornets are an eye-openinng 19-6 after a shaky 13-25 start to the season.
The Hornets, who have not made the playoffs since the 2015-16 season, have posted the NBA’s top offensive rating and sixth-ranked defensive rating since Jan. 10.
Friday’s game also comes with some significant stakes for the Heat and Hornets, with both teams hoping to make the playoffs without needing to take part in the play-in tournament.
The NBA’s play-in tournament features the seventh-through-10th-place teams competing for the final two playoff seeds in each conference. The Heat needs to finish among the East’s top six teams to clinch a playoff spot without needing to take part in the play-in tournament.