Basketball: Nets edge Heat on Royce O’Neale’s score in final seconds
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Brooklyn Nets forward Royce O'Neale hit the game-winning put-back with 3.2 seconds left.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MIAMI – Kyrie Irving scored 29 points and dished six assists with Royce O’Neale hitting the game-winning shot, as the Brooklyn Nets overcame a second-half injury to Kevin Durant to beat the hosts Miami Heat 102-101 on Sunday night.
O’Neale scored the go-ahead basket on a put-back with 3.2 seconds left after rebounding an Irving three-point miss. “I was just right there to finish it,” he said.
Miami’s Jimmy Butler missed a contested drive in the lane off the backboard as time expired. The Heat wanted a foul on an O’Neale bump at the end of the play.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra insisted: “Jimmy made the absolute right play.”
Durant missed 21 games last season due to a left knee injury. He left in the third quarter due to a bruised right knee after Butler accidentally rolled onto his leg.
Durant finished with 17 points, four rebounds and two assists. He entered the game averaging 30.0 points.
Said Irving: “Those plays are scary, because when someone’s not looking what’s going on, anything can happen in those moments. So I’m grateful for all that time he’s put in the weight room putting his body in a great position, and his body was able to save him from something worse.”
Nets coach Jacque Vaughn added: “Right knee, he’ll get evaluated tomorrow and then hopefully I’ll have some more info. Most likely it will include imaging, just to make sure we’re good.”
The Nets (27-13), who have won 14 of their past 15 games, also got 13 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks from Nic Claxton.
Butler led Miami (21-20) with 26 points along with eight rebounds. Tyler Herro, who returned after missing one game due to back spasms, added 24 points.
Miami’s Bam Adebayo was limited to 28 minutes due to a thigh injury. He finished with 10 points and eight rebounds after entering the game averaging 21.8 points.
Brooklyn led by as many as nine points early on, but the Nets held just a 31-30 advantage at the end of a wild first quarter. Brooklyn’s T. J. Warren made a three-pointer with 1.6 seconds left, and Miami’s Gabe Vincent answered with his own trey at the buzzer as he was falling out of bounds.
Miami’s Haywood Highsmith made a fortuitous three earlier in the quarter, banking his bucket in off the side of the backboard with the shot clock near zero.
Irving led all first-quarter scorers with 11 points as Brooklyn shot 57.1 per cent from the floor, including five-of-eight on three-pointers.
The visitors extended their half-time lead to 66-64. Irving led all second-quarter scorers with 13 points, and Brooklyn shot 61.1 per cent from the floor, including four of eight on three-pointers.
The Heat ended the third quarter on a 12-3 run, taking an 82-79 lead into the fourth. Both teams cooled off in the third quarter as Miami shot just 25 per cent, and Brooklyn made 27.8 per cent.
Brooklyn held on in the fourth and finished the game shooting 51.3 per cent from the floor, including 12 of 33 on three-pointers.
Miami shot 41.3 per cent, including 13 for 35 on three-pointers. REUTERS
