Brooklyn Nets’ Joe Johnson, left, defends Miami Heat’s LeBron James during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013 in New York. AP Photo/Frank Franklin II
NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets retired coach Jason Kidd’s number, then gave him an 86-62 preseason victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday night.
Brook Lopez scored 14 points for the Nets on a night that peaked with the pregame. Kidd’s No. 5 was lifted to the Barclays Center rafters during a ceremony a few minutes before the tip, honoring him for leading the franchise to its greatest NBA success.
The game itself could have used the jolt Kidd provided when the Nets acquired him in 2001. Except for a few LeBron James highlights, it was typical exhibition play, with starters resting and subs misfiring for much of the night.
James and Chris Bosh each finished with 16 points for the Heat.
The Nets believe their acquisition of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, along with a number of other moves, has given them a roster that can compete with the Heat in the Eastern Conference. All that could really be told from this game was that the Nets appear to have a better back end of their bench.
Miami managed just 12 points in the second quarter, when it went mostly with reserves and fell behind 44-28.
Dwyane Wade sat out for the Heat and Deron Williams is still sidelined by a sprained ankle for the Nets, but the exhibition at times had a playoff feel to it thanks to the rivalry among some of the veterans. James was dribbling quickly up the floor in the first quarter and Pierce simply threw his shoulder into James for a foul that stopped the fast break.
Garnett played only 10 minutes.
Kidd led the Nets to consecutive NBA Finals as a player and became the sixth member of the franchise to have his number retired. A few former teammates attended the ceremony, while taped messages from Kenyon Martin, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson were shown during breaks in the game.
Key reserves Ray Allen and Chris Andersen also sat out for the Heat, while the Nets remained without Jason Terry and Andrei Kirilenko from their bench.
The teams will meet again in Brooklyn on Nov. 1 in the Nets’ home opener.