Nets drop Heat to 1-2
NEW YORK—Paul Pierce and Joe Johnson scored 19 points each as the Brooklyn Nets ended years of futility against the Miami Heat and sent the NBA champions to their first losing streak in 10 months with a 101-100 victory Friday.
Pierce and Johnson both hit two free throws in the final seconds as the Heat were trying to pull off a comeback. Instead, they fell to 1-2 and have dropped consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 8 and 10.
The Heat got Dwyane Wade back after he missed Wednesday’s loss in Philadelphia, and he scored 21 points. LeBron James led Miami with 26.
The Nets ended a 13-game losing streak against the Heat with their first victory since March 20, 2009, before Miami’s Big Three got together and when the Nets were still playing in East Rutherford, New Jersey—two homes ago.
San Antonio’s Tony Parker had 24 points and six assists, and Kawhi Leonard added 15 points and 11 rebounds, as the Spurs beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 91-85, without Tim Duncan.
Parker hit the tie-breaking jump shot with 2:13 to play, and Manu Ginobili capped his 20-point performance off the bench with a key defensive play and a dunk in the final seconds of the Spurs’ road opener.
In Sacramento, California, Chris Paul had 26 points and 10 assists for his third straight double-double as the Los Angeles Clippers came back after blowing a 15-point lead in the second half to beat the Sacramento Kings, 110-101.
Kevin Love had 24 points and 12 rebounds and Ricky Rubio added 14 points, 10 assists and five steals to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Oklahoma City Thunder, 100-81.
In Houston, James Harden scored 34 points and Dwight Howard had 13 points and 16 rebounds in the Rockets’ 113-105 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, while Kemba Walker had 23 points and seven assists to help the Charlotte Bobcats beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 90-84.
LaMarcus Aldridge scored nine of his 25 points in the fourth quarter as the Portland Trail Blazers downed the Denver Nuggets, 113-98, and Mike Conley scored 22 points, Zach Randolph and Tony Allen added 16 each as the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Detroit Pistons, 111-108, in overtime for their first victory of the season.
In other games, the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Washington Wizards, 109-102, the Orlando Magic downed the New Orleans Pelicans, 110-90, the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Boston Celtics, 105-98, the Atlanta Hawks beat the Toronto Raptors, 102-95 and the Phoenix Suns were 87-84 winners over the Utah Jazz. AP
