Nets Get Third Win Against the Heat, Hawks Continue Postseason March
On Wednesday, the Brooklyn Nets (33-30) defeated the Miami Heat (44-18), 96-95, for their third victory against them this season.
Veteran Paul Pierce scored 29 points (9-of-12 shooting with 5-of-7 for 3’s) with 17 of them coming in the third quarter. With 1:45 remaining in the game, he gave the Nets a final lead, breaking a tied game at 92.
Mirza Teletovic exited the bench and added 17 points for the Nets (3 of 5 for 3’s) while Shaun Livingston contributed 13 points and Andray Blatche scored 11 for the Nets. Their play was vital as Joe Johnson (2-of-10) and Deron Williams (2-of-8) didn’t really show up.
For the game, the Nets’ bench outscored the Heat, 36-13, and in their three games this season, they have averaged 29.3 points versus 15.0.
Since January,the Nets have gone 22-9, earning the Eastern Conference’s top record as its defense continues to improve. They sit at 20/1 to win the 2014 Eastern Conference and 40/1 to win the 2014 NBA Championship.
Chris Bosh
As for Miami, who has now lost their last four of five games and sits two games behind the Indiana Pacers (47-17), allowed 22 points from turnovers and got hit with two technical fouls in the third quarter for arguing calls. Chris Bosh led in scoring with 24 points, surpassing the 15,000 career point mark (15,003) while Dwyane Wade added  22. LeBron James contributed 19 points (a second straight game without a free throw and only 13 shots for the game) with Mario Chalmers scoring 14.
So what’s up with Miami? Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of his team’s recent play via the Associated Press, “It’s competition. It’s survival of the strongest right now. … We still feel confident about our game. We just need to put it together.”
The Heat will look to regroup on Friday against the Denver Nuggets (28-36). Miami sits at 5/7 to win the 2014 NBA Eastern Conference and 21/10 to win it all in June.
Bucks vs. Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks (27-35) will enter Thursday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks (13-51) in the eighth spot for the Eastern Conference with the Detroit Pistons, the New York Knicks and yes, the Cleveland Cavaliers nipping on their heels. It’s been a rough season for Atlanta and with a much-needed win, it will be two straight for the team–a first in over a month. This comes after the team just ended a streak of six straight losses.
In Monday’s 112-110 win against the Utah Jazz (22-43), Kyle Korver again brought his 3-point magic, going 4 of 4 and ending with 26 points for the night. Paul Millsap contributed 23, which helped his team overcome a blown 17-point advantage.
Paul Millsap
Millsap said of the win via the Associated Press, “We felt like we needed this big-time. I hope this will be a good momentum boost going forward.”
For the Hawks, they couldn’t have selected a better team to go up against: the Bucks, who represent the worst of the league (yes, they have less wins than the Philadelphia 76ers (15-49).
In their first meeting this season, the Hawks won 112-87 and as they enter Thursday’s game, the Bucks will do so with a five-game losing streak against the Hawks–its longest since the 1996-1997 series. Not helping matters is they could be without Ersan Ilyasova (ankle) for a second consecutive game.
Also going against the Bucks is playing on Atlanta’s home court as they’ve lost 10 of their last 11 games there.
It’s hard to answer which team wants this win more but it’s likely Atlanta who still has a fighting chance for this season while the Bucks most likely have their eyes already on the next season and the NBA Draft.
The Hawks have had their shares of struggles this season, including the injury bug. For Thursday, they’ll get the win (-9.5, 209 o/u) and sit at 300/1 to win this year’s championship.
