Second-half surge lifts Heat past Nets
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Brooklyn, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Mario Chalmers delivered 22 points for a Miami Heat team that overcame a pair of key injuries to record a 95-83 win over the Brooklyn Nets in a matchup of struggling clubs.
The Heat were able to halt a three-game skid and deal Brooklyn a fourth straight defeat despite playing without both Dwyane Wade (hamstring) and Luol Deng (wrist). Chalmers helped offset their absences with his big night and Chris Bosh did his part by totaling 15 points and nine rebounds.
Norris Cole contributed 12 points and rookie Shabazz Napier had 11 off the bench for Miami, which outscored the Nets 57-40 over the final two quarters to erase a five-point halftime deficit.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"This is a good step, but we have to keep on building," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Brooklyn received a career high-tying 22 points out of Bojan Bogdanovic, but shot a poor 36.7 percent in the second half. Jarrett Jack had 15 points for the Nets and Deron Williams finished with 14 along with seven assists.
"We have to keep growing. Keep fighting. You have to keep scratching and clawing," Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Miami was down 43-38 at the half and 51-49 five minutes into the third quarter after Bogdanovic drained a pair of treys around a Bosh basket. The Heat then embarked on a 15-3 run to move in front to stay.
Cole scored the first five points of the surge and Chalmers finished it with a short runner that preceded his pass to Chris Andersen for an alley-oop stuff that put Miami in front 64-54 with 3:12 left in the period.
Another Bogdanovic three got Brooklyn within 70-64 entering the fourth, and the Nets got the margin down to four with 2:51 to go when Jack sank two free throws to make the score 84-80.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Chalmers scored in the lane and was fouled on the ensuing possession, however. He completed the 3-point play to start a pivotal 7-0 stretch, which Bosh ended with a beyond-the-arc basket for a 91-80 lead with 1:23 remaining.
The Nets never trailed at any time during the first half, though the game was tight most of the way and tied at 34-34 with four minutes left in the second quarter following five straight points from Chalmers.
Mirza Teletovic then knocked down a three in transition and scored Brooklyn's next seven points as the Nets closed out the half on a 9-4 push to take a five-point edge into the intermission.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Game Notes
Bogdanovic also had 22 points in a 104-96 Brooklyn victory over Orlando on Nov. 9, the Nets' most recent win ... Danny Granger made his season debut for Miami in Deng's place and had four points in 20 minutes of action. The offseason addition had been held out of the Heat's first 10 games with a hamstring injury ... Brooklyn's Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez combined to go 4- of-17 from the field, with Lopez managing just five points and Johnson six ... The teams were meeting for the first time since last season's Eastern Conference semifinals, which the Heat won in five games.