Published 16:37 IST, January 24th 2021
'Not a lot we could have defended better': Spoelstra on slowing the Nets trio
"It's not every day you see this collection of guys playing together in NBA history, so we want to take full advantage of that," Irving said.
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Brooklyn's three superstars were just enough to overcome Bam Adebayo's brilliant individual effort.Kevin Durant scored 31 points, Kyrie Irving took over late and had 28 and the Nets overcame Adebayo's career-high 41 points to beat the Miami Heat 128-124 on Saturday night.
James Harden finished with 12 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds as the Nets won for the first time with their Big Three playing together. They lost consecutive games with dismal defensive efforts in Cleveland and barely got enough stops to hold off a short-handed Heat team that had been limited to 81 points by Toronto a night earlier.
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"It's not every day you see this collection of guys playing together in NBA history, so we want to take full advantage of that," Irving said. Irving helped pull the Nets through with 12 points in the final 5:48 after the Heat had erased nearly all of an 18-point deficit. Joe Harris added 23 points and seven 3-pointers for Brooklyn, but the Nets needed Irving's 18 points in the final quarter of a game they had largely controlled.
"All three of those guys, they're just so damn skilled. Off the dribble, their shooting ability, their ability to see open players, and that's why they're three of the best in this business," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "And those are shots that only great players can manufacture."
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(Image Credit: AP)
16:37 IST, January 24th 2021