Here are three thoughts from the Nets’ 104-98 loss to the Heat in Miami Wednesday night:
1. The biggest reason the Nets lost – more than the slow start, the inability to stop Chris Andersen’s rim rolls, the 21 turnovers — was Dwyane Wade.
Wade was sensational, finishing with 28 points and nine assists, slashing to find an easy midrange jumper or hit a teammate for an open shot — Andersen at the rim or someone on the perimeter.
The Nets have needed that kind of production from their stars throughout this recent five-game losing streak, but simply haven’t gotten it.
Before the game, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, no duh, his team is fighting for its playoff life. Dwyane Wade went out and played like it. The Nets didn’t.
2. Mason Plumlee hasn’t been very good lately. In the three games prior to Wednesday night, he scored a combined eight points and grabbed six rebounds in 42 minutes in home losses to the Suns, Jazz and Pelicans.
But Plumlee had those same numbers in 15 minutes against the Heat, getting back to attacking the offensive glass – where he had four rebounds – and aggressively going at the rim. He struggled with his free throw shooting once again, going 2-for-6, but the Nets will gladly take the aggressiveness with the missed free throws.
Since the Nets have gone away from playing Plumlee and Brook Lopez together, the second-year center has seen his minutes slowly erode while Lopez has played very well. Plumlee’s confidence has seemed to wane along with it. Wednesday’s game, however, seemed like a step in the right direction.
3. Sergey Karasev is set to have surgery to repair his dislocated patella and torn MCL Thursday, at which point the Nets will announce a timetable for his recovery.
It’s a disappointing ending to an up-and-down season for the 21-year-old shooting guard, who barely played both before and after his 16-game stint in the starting lineup, during which he averaged 7.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists. Karasev showed signs of being a contributor in the future, including nice court vision, but he was often too passive, passing up open looks, which is a big reason why he fell back behind Bojan Bogdanovic in Lionel Hollins’ rotation.