Miami Heat 85-98 Brooklyn Nets: Twitter explodes as James Harden turns it on late to down Bam Adebayo and crew
Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat were unable to get the better of James Harden and the rest of the Brooklyn Nets' big three, losing 85-98 on Monday.
The Nets' new dynamic trio continues to look more comfortable together with each game, as they have won back-to-back games against the 2020 NBA finalists.
James Harden and Kevin Durant led the Brooklyn Nets with 20 points each, followed by Kyrie Irving, who had 16 points and eight rebounds.
The Miami Heat put up a good fight in the first half but wore down in the second 24 minutes. Bam Adebayo finished with a game high 26-points and had some help from Gordan Dragic, who scored 21 points on 53.8% shooting.
Bam Adebayo and Miami Heat shut down the Brooklyn Nets' big three in the first half
The Miami Heat's impressive defense and the ice-cold shooting from the Brooklyn Nets resulted in a low-scoring first half.
The Brooklyn Nets, recently popularized for their newly acquired big three's offensive dominance, were held to just 15 points in the first quarter and went into the break shooting just 34.9% from the field.
Their stars, Durant, Irving and Harden, went seven for 22 in the game's first 24 minutes.
James Harden, the three-time consecutive scoring champion, scored just one field goal in the first half. He was playing extremely passive and attempted just two field-goal attempts.
Here are some Twitter reactions to his initial performance:
Meanwhile, Kendrick Nunn and Bam Adebayo held Kevin Durant to just 2 of 11 from the floor in the first half.
Here's how Twitter reacted to the duo's efforts:
Bam Adebayo was the best player in the first half, scoring 15 points, but he had a Shaqtin' a Fool moment by attempting to pass the ball to a teammate who was checking into the game.
Here's how Twitter reacted to the incident:
The shorthanded Miami Heat are showing that they will still be legitimate contenders in the Eastern Conference once they get Jimmy Butler back, especially if Bam Adebayo can continue his current level of play.
Here are some Twitter reactions to Adebayo's performance:
James Harden came alive in the fourth to earn the Brooklyn Nets another win
James Harden, who was quiet in the first half, turned it on when it mattered for the Brooklyn Nets. 10 of his 20 points came in the fourth quarter to earn his team a victory over the Miami Heat.
Here's how Twitter reacted to James Harden's overall performance:
Some Brooklyn Nets fans doubt that Kyrie Irving can merge with James Harden. They believe that he should see a reduced role in the offense to allow Harden to have a higher usage rating.
Brooklyn's defense should be the largest takeaway of the night. They showed that they can stop teams on a night where they do not have it going from the field.
It is clear that the high power Brooklyn Nets still have some kinks to work out to get the most out of their trio of James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, despite earning their second consecutive win.
ALSO READ: Miami Heat vs Brooklyn Nets: Injury Updates, Predicted Lineups and Starting 5 – January 25th, 2021 | NBA Season 2020-21 (sportskeeda.com)