The Miami Heat entered this one from a position of strength and it showed for most of Saturday night’s 115-111 victory at FTX Arena.
They know who they are, what they are and where they are headed.
Then there were the Brooklyn Nets, a shell of what was expected in the standings and a shell of what they yet might be this season.
So make it five straight victories for the Heat and 11 consecutive losses for the Nets.
With Kevin Durant sidelined with an ongoing knee issue, Ben Simmons yet to be added to the mix and little to threaten with beyond Kyrie Irving, the Nets looked nothing like they hope to look in April, or potentially beyond.
At times, that created a lack of focus for the Heat, including at the finish, after pushing to a 21-point third-quarter lead.
But the depth of talent between the teams — at least at the moment — was too pronounced.
So while Irving came around to close with 29 for the Nets, the Heat got 19 points and 14 rebounds from Bam Adebayo, as well as 17 points from Duncan Robinson, 15 from Tyler Herro and 13 from Kyle Lowry. In all, seven Heat players scored in double figures.
Harrowing at the finish, the Heat sealed it when Lowry came up with a steal with three seconds to play and the Heat up two. A pair of P.J. Tucker free throws closed out the scoring.
Five Degrees of Heat from Saturday’s game:
— 1. Closing time: The Heat moved to their 21-point lead in the third quarter and were ahead 91-76 going into the fourth.
But with an 18-1 run to open the fourth, the Nets stood within 92-84 with 9:10 to play, later closing within 95-90 on an Irving 3-pointer with 7:38 to play.
Ultimately, Heat forward Jimmy Butler got to the line with 14.6 seconds to play, converting only the first of two free throws for a 113-111 lead.
Lowry’s steal followed on the ensuing Nets possession.
— 2. Bam boost: With the Nets’ power rotation depleted to the degree of Blake Griffin being rolled out in the middle, Adebayo had his seventh double-double in the last nine games.
Adebayo was up to 15 points and 12 rebounds by the end of the third quarter, albeit also with four turnovers to that stage.
— 3. Herro ball: After resting Herro the previous two games, ostensibly as a matter of practicing prudence, the Heat had a clearly refreshed sixth man back in the mix.
Herro opened 3 of 4 from the field, also attacking the boards early, the first Heat player to reach double figures in points.
Playing in aggressive mode, he was 6 of 6 from the line with six rebounds at the intermission.
— 4. Vincent, too: Gabe Vincent also provided a welcomed early bench boost, with 11 points at the intermission on 5-of-5 shooting.
Vincent’s first-half also included a chase-down block in transition and a 3-pointer, at times playing alongside Lowry.
— 5. Nets lite: The Nets did not have any of the three players acquired Thursday from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for James Harden.
Simmons has yet to join the team, with Andre Drummond and Seth Curry unable to play with the trade not formalized until after tipoff.
Durant spoke pregame of finally having a degree of roster clarity after the trade, even with teammates Joe Harris and Nic Claxton out.
“It gives the team a sense of security,” he said. “They want to be here and be a part of the group going forward for the rest of the season. I’m sure there was a lot of uncertainty in the locker about what our future was going to be as a group.”
