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Nets 104, Heat 90
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
NEW YORK — Led by forwards Andray Blatche and Mirza Teletovic off the bench, the Brooklyn Nets defeated the Miami Heat 104-90 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Saturday night at the Barclays Center.
The Nets trimmed the Heat’s lead to 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 4 is at 8 p.m. ET Monday at Brooklyn.
After just four points and four rebounds in first two games of the series, Blatche erupted with playoff career highs in points (15) and rebounds (10). Teletovic scored 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range as the Nets shot 60 percent (15-of-25) from beyond the arc.
Forward Joe Johnson had 19 points and six assists, forward Paul Pierce scored 14 points, guard Shaun Livingston had 12 points and forward Kevin Garnett added 10 points and seven boards for the Nets, who beat the Heat in the postseason for the first time.
After being held scoreless in Game 2, Nets guard Deron Williams responded with nine points and 11 assists.
Forward LeBron James scored a game-high 28 points and had eight rebounds and five assists. Guard Dwayne Wade had 20 points and forward Chris Bosh 12 for Miami, which lost its first game of the playoffs.
While Blatche was solid throughout, Teletovic heated up in the third quarter, burying three 3-pointers as part of an 18-5 run that gave the Nets a 74-61 lead, its largest margin to that point.
The Nets, which swept the Heat 4-0 during the regular season, outscored the Heat 26-14 in the third quarter and took a 77-63 lead into the fourth. It was the first time this postseason that Miami has trailed in the fourth quarter.
The Nets led by as many as 19 on a running bank shot by guard Alan Anderson with 4:52 left in the fourth quarter.
James came out firing early, scoring 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field in the first quarter, as the Heat opened a 20-15 lead after a 10-0 run.
But Blatche scored the Nets’ next nine points and Livingston beat the buzzer with a shot from just inside half-court to slice the Heat’s deficit to 30-29 after the highest scoring quarter of the series.
Blatche continued his scoring in the second quarter, giving the Nets a 47-44 lead with 3:06 left in the half on a finger roll. Johnson had 12 first-half points — all from beyond the arc — as the Nets went into the locker room with a 51-49 lead.
NOTES: Miami F Shane Battier competed in his 100th career playoff game. … Heat F LeBron James scored 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field in the first quarter, his highest scoring output in a quarter this postseason. … The Nets played their first second-round home game since May 12, 2007, a 96-85 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. … Nets G Shaun Livingston beat the first-quarter buzzer with a deep heave. He only had one 3-pointer during the regular season, against Philadelphia on Dec. 16. … Nets F Paul Pierce played in his 146th career playoff game, tying him for 31st in NBA history with Chauncey Billups. In the first half, Pierce also moved past Clyde Drexler into 24th place in points scored. Nets F Kevin Garnett played in his 141st career playoff game, tying him with Julius Erving and Cliff Robinson for 46th in NBA history.
