MIAMI — The Nets continued to struggle to create what they wanted and continued to struggle to win.
On Monday, they lost 110-95 to the Heat in front of a crowd of 19,832 at Caseya Center. And once again, the problem was on the attacking side.
The Nets (11-18) have dropped 5-of-6 and 8-of-8 in their past 10 games, but shot just 39.3 percent overall and 13-of-34 from deep. We didn’t make enough 3-point shots, we didn’t make enough shots.
Cam Johnson continued to perform well, scoring 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting overall and 3-of-7 from 3-point range.
Young big man Noah Clowney added 19 points and five rebounds, making 4 of 10 from behind the arc. He's starting to find his footing in two-man games with Ben Simmons. Lob threat Nick Claxton has missed Dennis Schroder's pick-and-roll game since the guard was traded to Golden State, and the center finished with a quiet six points.
On the other hand, Simmons scored four points and provided nine assists, but in the second half he had only one helper and was scoreless.
“For us, it's just doing what we're supposed to do, being better, taking care of the ball, getting back in transition, executing properly. And getting back to winning basketball,” Johnson said beforehand. talked about goals.
That may not happen until they begin to rediscover deep touch.
“Keep shooting. Keep playing with confidence,” Johnson said. “Let them fly and don’t worry about the outcome, just make sure the process is in place.
“Keep getting your reps and keep hitting your shots.”
The Nets caught a motivated Miami (14-13).
Still reeling from humiliation at the hands of the short-handed Magic, the Heat blew a 22-point lead entering the fourth quarter against the Magic and were outscored 37-8 in the final period. This tied for the seventh-most lopsided fourth quarter in NBA history.
The Nets were unable to pull off a similar comeback. They were buoyed by three quick turnovers and allowed a 19-7 run over the first and second quarters. In the end, Shake Milton hit Keel Ware and Nikola Jovic made a free throw to pull the score 41-28.
Duncan Robinson's finger roll made it 51-38 with 5:41 left in the first half, and the deficit was once again at 13 points. Simmons received a technical for an altercation with an official and said he felt hit in the arm when he missed a hook shot on the previous possession. Then Tyler Herro hit the free throw.
But first, Simmons — a notoriously poor free-throw shooter who infuriated fans by appearing to avoid fouls, first in Philadelphia and then in Brooklyn — is now in the charity stripes. It's important to note that I was furious that I couldn't do it.
The Nets seemed to be riding his momentum, finishing the first half with four assists on a 19-6 run. Simmons started the game with a no-look pass to a cutout Dayron Sharpe and ended with a kickout to Clowney for a 3-pointer.
The Nets led 57-56 entering the locker room and 83-78 entering the fourth. They could never overcome the difficulties.
