The Miami Heat entered Thursday's matchup against the Brooklyn Nets in desperate need of a victory. Miami had lost five straight contests, including games to the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks.
Despite being listed as questionable prior to the game, Norman Powell played and led the Heat with 24 points in the absence of Tyler Herro. Kel'el Ware and Jaime Jaquez Jr. Combined for 41 points as Miami outscored Brooklyn by seven in the fourth quarter and took an 11-point victory. Although Bam Adebayo finished two points shy of a double-double, he turned in a monster performance on the glass, grabbing 17 rebounds.
Holding the Nets to 95 total points, Miami's defense was tough to penetrate. Both Ware and Adebayo combined for seven blocks, a performance that placed them in the franchise history books. Having recorded 12 or more rebounds and three or more blocks in the same game, Adebayo and Ware became the third set of Heat players to do so on the same night in team history. PJ Brown and Alonzo Mourning last accomplished this feat in 1998, while Terry Davis and Ron Seikaly did it first in 1990.
With the victory, Miami moves into a tie for sixth place in the Eastern Conference with the Orlando Magic.
The Heat won't have much time to rest though, as they are scheduled to face the Boston Celtics Friday, the second night of a back-to-back. They'll then face the New York Knicks Sunday to complete a brief east coast road trip before returning home against the Raptors Tuesday.