Nets’ strong defense craters in second half during overtime loss to Heat

The Nets’ best defensive performance of the year couldn’t help. Neither could rare big nights from Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas cooking together, as Brooklyn suffered a 96 95 overtime loss to Miami before a sellout crowd of 17,893 at Barclays Center on Monday night. The game wasn’t decided until Bridges (team high 26 points to go along with nine rebounds and six assists) saw his 10 foot baseline fadeaway against three defenders fall just short with 1.1 seconds left in overtime.

Thomas had 23 points off the bench, and Brooklyn had to stomach blowing a 16 point second half lead on its home floor, listening to chants of “Lets go Heat!” The Nets (16 23) have dropped 14 of their past 18, and now they’re heading off on a three game West Coast road trip that includes tilts at Portland, and in Los Angeles against the Clippers and Lakers.

Jimmy Butler returned from a seven game absence with a game high 31 points for the Heat, now 24 16. Brooklyn’s defense went from smothering to sieve like after intermission. The Nets allowed just 26.2 percent shooting — and 0 for 12 from behind the 3 point arc — in building a 14 point halftime lead.

The Nets surrendered 70.6 percent — and 5 for 7 from deep — in getting outscored 37 24 in the third quarter. The fourth quarter couldn’t settle the game — Bridges’ free throws with 4.4 seconds left in regulation knotting it at 88 — so they needed overtime. That’s where the Nets blew another lead.

Thomas put the Nets on the board first, and after a Bam Adebayo miss, Royce O’Neale’s right wing 3 gave them a five point lead. A Bridges block on Caleb Martin led to Brooklyn forcing a shot clock violation. Tyler Herro (29 points) hit a 3 pointer with 1:29 left, but Bridges answered with a tough floater in the lane, getting a bounce for a 95 91 lead.

Herro hit another 3 pointer to pull the Heat within one. And after Brooklyn got whistled for offensive basket interference, Miami had a golden opportunity. Claxton forced Herro to give the ball up, but Butler earned a whistle against Dennis Smith Jr., hitting both free throws with 11 seconds left. He gave the Heat the lead and Bridges’ miss ensured they kept it..