Spencer Dinwiddie, Nets Surge in 2nd Half to Beat Heat Despite Jimmy Butler's 33

After seven straight losses, the Brooklyn Nets found themselves back in the win column Friday with a 117-113 victory over the Miami Heat at Barclays Center.

That's the second positive development for Brooklyn this week after guard Kyrie Irving returned to practice Thursday, sparking the hope that he could play next week after being sidelined with a shoulder injury. The Nets nearly ended their losing streak Tuesday by taking the Oklahoma City Thunder to overtime but faltered in the extra period, scoring just two points as OKC notched a 111-103 victory.  

Miami entered the contest having won eight of its last 10 games and with an agitated Jimmy Butler. The star forward was fined $35,000 by the league a few hours before tipoff in New York after getting into an altercation with Indiana Pacers forward T.J. Warren in a Wednesday night road win. 

Notable Performers

• Jimmy Butler, SF, Heat: 33 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists
• Bam Adebayo, C, Heat: 22 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds
• Spencer Dinwiddie, PG, Nets: 26 points, 14 assists, 4 rebounds
• Jarrett Allen, C, Nets: 11 points, 11 rebounds

Spencer Dinwiddie Reel V Miami Heat

01:27

Nets' Hustle Dooms Heat

There was little in the last seven games to suggest that this would be the night that broke the Nets' losing streak. That changed right off the bat when Brooklyn knocked down its first four shots of the game—all three-pointers—and refused to panic once Miami countered with a run of its own to knot things up. 

Confidence would play a huge factor down the stretch as the Heat took a nine-point lead with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. It wasn’t just that the shots were falling for the Nets (48.4 percent from the floor); it’s that they outmuscled Miami in all the hustle stats to keep them alive. Brooklyn won the rebound battle 51-40, including 14 offensive boards to Miami’s four. The Nets also scored seven more points in transition than the Heat while dishing out 31 assists.

Those are exactly the categories coaches demand their teams dominate against superior opponents like Miami. In the end, that hustle helped the Nets go on a 14-2 run to take the lead with 25 seconds remaining. 

With Irving likely due back soon and the offense clicking, things are trending up again in Brooklyn. It couldn’t have come at a better time, either. The Nets are now 17-20 and squarely in the playoff race as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Getting a boost of confidence—and the return of an All-Star in Irving—could go a long way towards moving up the standings in the next few weeks, especially with two matchups against a Philadelphia 76ers team that just lost Joel Embiid to an injury. 

There’s no denying how bad things looked over the last seven games in Brooklyn. The bounce-back could be equally stunning.

Jimmy Butler Reel vs. Brooklyn

01:35

Jimmy Butler Shakes off Warren Scuffle 

Friday’s fine handed down by the league didn’t seem to hurt Butler’s play at all in Brooklyn. The Heat’s best player came out firing against the Nets, putting together an all-around solid night that nearly notched an 11th victory in 13 games for Miami.

Butler shot 12-of-18 from the floor and a perfect nine-of-nine from the free-throw line. He was just one rebound shy of his seventh double-double on the year. The stats are pretty—the way Butler got them was anything but. The slashing small forward did most of his scoring driving into the paint where Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan were continually waiting for him. Once he had their attention, he was able to pop out to the wing quickly to knock down a jumper. 

Even more impressive, Butler’s 33 points came without any three-point makes and just two attempts behind the arc on the night. That’s shocking not just because of Butler’s skill set but because the Heat are averaging the second-best three-point percentage in the league (37.9). 

It may be easy to argue that if Butler had shot a few more threes, the Heat might have pulled this one out. That wasn’t where Butler was at his best Friday. Getting the paint was just too easy for him. 

T.J. Warren might want to take note for the next time Butler tries to drive on him.  

What's Next

The Heat will wrap up a three-game road trip without having to leave town, taking on the New York Knicks on Sunday afternoon before returning home to face a San Antonio Spurs team that just knocked off the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics back-to-back. 

Brooklyn gets to stay home a bit longer with both the Atlanta Hawks and Utah Jazz coming to town next week.