MIAMI — Brooklyn coach Lionel Hollins gave serious consideration to benching his entire starting five going into the second half, then made a last-second decision to simply use Wayne Ellington and Shane Larkin as his backcourt to open the third quarter instead.
Brilliant.
"It turned out to be enough," Hollins said.
Ellington tied a career best with seven 3-pointers — done twice now, both against Miami — on his way to scoring 26 points, Brook Lopez had 26 points and 12 rebounds and the Nets rallied from 16 points down in the third quarter to beat the Heat 111-105 on Monday night.
"I get a little hot against the Heat, I guess," Ellington said.
Jarrett Jack scored 18 for the Nets, who had lost seven consecutive games to the Heat going back to the 2014 playoffs. Larkin, part of that halftime shake-up, had seven assists in the third quarter alone to spark Brooklyn’s comeback, its biggest of the season.
Chris Bosh was a career-best 5 for 5 from 3-point range and finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds for Miami, which got 24 more points from Dwyane Wade. Hassan Whiteside had 18 points and 11 rebounds and Luol Deng scored 15 for the Heat, who have alternated wins and losses in their last eight home games.
"Thirty games together. We ain’t figured it out yet," Wade said. "We haven’t played together long enough to figure it out. Either this is going to be our season like this, either we’re going to figure it out or we’re not. We’re a good team. If we’re satisfied with being a good team, then we’ll keep playing like this throughout the year. If we want to be a great team, then we’ll put it together. There’s only one way to find out. About 52 games away from that."
Miami scored the first two points of the second half to go up 60-44. By the time the quarter ended, the Heat were down. Ellington made a 3-pointer late in the third to cap a 32-14 run and give Brooklyn the lead, and his seventh of the night — with 1:11 remaining in the game — put the Nets up 103-93.
Miami got within four on a dunk by Wade with 41 seconds left, but no closer. Wade said he bruised his hip on a fall while getting fouled in the final moments, and would receive treatment before Miami’s game in Memphis on Tuesday.
"Obviously a disappointing game at home, when we’re in control," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
The Nets set season highs with 12 3-pointers, 27 free throws and 36 free throws attempted.
Ellington’s other game with seven 3s was Nov. 11, 2012, against Miami, when he was with the Memphis Grizzlies. He hadn’t made more than three from beyond the arc in any game this season before Monday.
TIP-INS
Nets: Brooklyn pulled off a four-game sweep of Miami in the 2013-14 regular season, and is 2-9 against the Heat since. … Joe Johnson scored only four points. … Thaddeus Young scored 11 for the Nets.
Heat: Josh McRoberts (knee) missed his 10th consecutive game, and Justise Winslow (ankle) was sidelined. Tyler Johnson (shoulder) returned after missing eight of Miami’s last nine games. … Bosh’s previous best for 3-pointers made was four, done eight times.
COMING HOME
This trip to Miami and Orlando is a series of homecomings for Larkin. He was a star in college at the University of Miami — some members of the Hurricanes’ staff were at Monday’s game specifically to see him again — and before heading to Coral Gables he played at Dr. Phillips High in Orlando, the city Larkin still calls home.
50,000 HELPERS
Wade’s lob to Whiteside to close the first-half scoring was the 12th assist of the night for the Heat, and it was a historic one. Including playoffs, it was the 50,000th assist in team history. Another team milestone awaits later this season, when the Heat will grab their 100,000th rebound. They’re on pace for that around the end of January.
UP NEXT
Nets: Visit Orlando on Wednesday.
Heat: Visit Memphis on Tuesday.
