Norman Powell scored 24 points, and Kel’el Ware added 22 points with 12 rebounds and four blocks as the Miami Heat snapped a five-game losing streak with a 106-95 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday at Barclays Center.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. contributed 19 points, and Bam Adebayo collected 17 rebounds despite foul trouble, helping Miami secure just its second victory in December after a 1-5 start to the month. Andrew Wiggins chipped in 10 points and two three-pointers.
Michael Porter Jr. led Brooklyn with 28 points, going 5-of-14 from beyond the arc, while Nic Claxton added 16 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists. Terance Mann and Egor Demin combined for 18 points, but the Nets shot just 39% overall and 22% from three-point range.
The game remained tight until the fourth quarter when Ware hit a three-pointer and Jaquez followed with consecutive baskets to extend Miami’s lead to 93-82 with just over four minutes remaining. Brooklyn missed 10 of 13 three-point attempts in the final period, allowing the Heat to pull away.
Miami led 86-82 with under five minutes to play before Ware and Jaquez put the game out of reach. The Heat shot 46% from the field and 32% from three, outrebounding the Nets 51-49 and protecting the rim with nine blocks.
The Nets were coming off a franchise-record tying 127-82 blowout of Milwaukee but could not carry that momentum into this matchup, falling to 7-19. The Heat improve to 15-12, halting their longest losing streak of the season.
Next up, Miami visits Boston on Friday, while Brooklyn hosts Toronto on Sunday.
