Miami Heat-New Jersey Nets: Heat's Big Three Spring Miami To Big Win

After pulling out fourth quarter wins in their first two games, the New Jersey Nets were unable to even keep it close in a 101-78 loss to the Miami Heat.

Miami's "Big Three" of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh lived up to the hype, combining for 55 points on 17-of-31 shooting, with none of them even needing to crack 30 minutes on the court.

James led the way with 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, looking good in his role as a facilitator who can also score with the best of them.

For the game, the Heat shot 53.7 percent after being at 67.7 percent going into halftime.

New Jersey, on the other hand, could not find the stroke, shooting at 35.3 percent.  The three-point shooting that had been a major strength in the team's first two games eluded the Nets, as they were 3-of-14 from behind the arc in the game (21.4 percent).

Brook Lopez led his team in scoring, going 8-of-17 for 20 points.

Devin Harris had another solid performance, scoring 13 points and dishing out six assists. His assist total could have been higher had his teammates been better shooting the ball.

The loss is no doubt disappointing for the Nets, who had looked good in their first two games, each time coming back from fourth quarter deficits.

With the score 58-42 at halftime, New Jersey was a good run away from getting right back in the game, but a string of turnovers in the third quarter effectively put the Nets down for the count.

The team struggled with turnovers against Sacramento on Wednesday, and it is something they need to work on.

Also, the Nets are not a running team, but scoring just two fast break points is not good for anyone, particularly with guys like Harris who can get down the court in a heartbeat.

Despite the loss, there were still some bright spots.

New Jersey out-rebounded Miami 43-40 and had 19 offensive rebounds. If the Nets' shooters had been able to consistently find the bottom of the net, they may have had a chance to pull out another late win.

It's clear to this point, early in the season, that Miami's downfall could be its lack of frontcourt size.

Derrick Favors also notched his first career double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 13 boards, 10 of them coming on the offensive end.

Favors has looked good in three games, as he has shown that he has the potential to be a really good player in this league. However, his play could be buying him a ticket out of town if Denver decides it would like to swap Carmelo Anthony for him and some other assets.

New Jersey's 78 points look bad, but keep in mind that the number is right around what Miami has been giving up this season on average.

The Nets have two days to regroup before hosting Charlotte on Wednesday, and they will get another shot at Miami next Saturday.

We'll see if they can improve.