Heat escape Nets as Durant exits game with injury

Bam Adebayo’s step-back, 13-foot jumper from the baseline at the buzzer lifted the Miami Heat to a 109-107 victory at home against the Brooklyn Nets in a matchup of short-handed teams on Sunday, April 18 (Monday, April 19, Manila time).

Adebayo finished with 21 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists to help the Heat snap a three-game losing streak despite playing without Jimmy Butler, who sat out with a sprained right ankle.

Landry Shamet scored a career-high 30 points and made 7-of-12 three-pointers to lead the Nets, who lost Kevin Durant early to injury.

Durant scored the Nets’ first 8 points before exiting the game with 7:57 left in the 1st quarter with what was diagnosed as a left thigh contusion. Durant banged his left knee against Heat forward Trevor Ariza’s knee on a drive to the basket.

Shamet’s output and Kyrie Irving’s 20 points and 9 assists were nearly enough for the Nets, who were already without James Harden (hamstring) for the sixth consecutive game. Joe Harris scored 12 points.

After Goran Dragic’s coast-to-coast layup tied the game at 107 with 43.6 seconds left, Irving missed a go-ahead three-point attempt from the top of the key with 24.3 seconds remaining with Adebayo defending him.

Adebayo then held the ball at the other end and dribbled into the paint with two seconds left and fired up his winning shot.

Dragic finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists, while Dewayne Dedmon totaled 10 points and 10 rebounds off Miami’s bench. Kendrick Nunn made 5 of the Heat’s 16 triples and finished with 17 points, while Ariza had 15 points and 9 rebounds. Duncan Robinson scored 11 points.

Durant, an 11-time All-Star, returned to the Nets’ lineup April 7 after a 23-game absence due to a hamstring injury. He played in 4 of Brooklyn’s previous 5 games and averaged 23.8 points, 6.3 assists, and 5.3 rebounds during that span.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said pregame that Butler was day-to-day. It’s unclear if he will be able to play Monday night when Miami hosts the Houston Rockets. – Rappler.com