Wade, Haslem can’t lift Heat past Nets in season finale
With the Miami Heat eliminated from contention Tuesday, and the organization giving Dwayne Wade the raucous send-off he deserved in his last home game, Wednesday night’s game on the road against the Brooklyn Nets seemed like a formality.
Despite an inspired performance from Udonis Haslem to start the game, the Heat came out flat. Miami trailed by as many as 21 early in the first half, and. though a second-half surge cut the lead to just 10, the Heat was unable to recover from its early hole, falling 113-94 to the Nets.
With Haslem making his first start of the season in what could be the last game of his career, the Heat seemed intent on getting the 38 year-old forward the ball early and often.
The night started with the Heat calling a play for Haslem, who hit the game’s first shot. He had eight points and eight rebounds in the first half en route to season highs of 12 points and 11 rebounds — his only double-double of the season — and playing a season-high 30 minutes.
Wade, whose name was chanted frequently by the Brooklyn crowd, finished with his first triple-double of the season. With close friends LeBron James, Chris Paul, and Carmelo Anthony in attendance, the 37 year-old guard finished with 25 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds.
The Nets, who locked up the sixth spot in the playoffs, came out with a high level of energy from the start, as nine different players scored in the first half.
The Brooklyn crowd seemed to come alive near the end of the third quarter with both Wade and Haslem making big plays to cut the lead, but the Heat was unable to close the gap. The Nets seemed to always have an answer, especially from beyond the arc, whenever the Heat seemed to make a run. Brooklyn finished with 21 three-pointers, led by guards D’Angelo Russell (21 points on 7-of-11 from three-point range) and Shabazz Napier (20 points, 6 of 13 from downtown). Forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Duncan Robinson, who recently signed a two-year with the Heat worth $3.1 million dollars, finished with season highs in points (15), rebounds (5), and minutes (36).
This story was originally published April 10, 2019 at 10:33 PM.