Brooklyn Nets vs. Miami Heat preview: Nets head south for the holidays

A cold, hard day at the office. The Brooklyn Nets hosted Utah Jazz on a snowy Brooklyn Saturday night. It was a messy game as the Nets committed 19 turnovers en route to an 11 point home loss.

The Miami Heat are in a bad way right now. They blew a 25-point lead and scored just eight fourth-quarter points in a dismal loss to add insult to injury, the Orlando Magic ravaged Saturday night. The L was Miami’s third in a row and they are now 13-13 on the season.

Where to follow the game

YES Network on TV. WFAN on the radio. Tip off after 7:30pm ET.

Injuries

No Cam Thomas, Bojan Bogdanovic, Ziaire Williams, Trenton Watford or DeAnthony Melton. Dorian Finney-Smith is questionable with a left calf contusion. But we might see Dariq Whitehead and Jaylen Martin. Both have been on assignment at Long Island but are listed as questionable for Brooklyn. The two played in Orlando on Sunday.

Josh Richardson is out with right heel inflammation. Jimmy Butler is questionable with a stomach ailment.

The game

So Ben Simmons had his best game in quite some time, including this rarity

15/10/6? Very good! A season-high six turnovers? VERY BAD! Jordi Fernandez called out Ben’s aggressiveness, and the Nets need him to repeat that every game if they want to compete. That’s something Lucas Kaplan and Sarah Kustok talked about in the latest edition of The background podcast

Simmons has the talent. It’s just a matter of putting together a consistent run for him to showcase his ability.

Nic Claxton will have quite a game on his hands tonight. Bam Adebayo is the key to Miami’s season and they need the All Star game if they want to save their season. Adebayo can do a little bit of everything, as he can run the offense, find his teammates for a good look at the rim and score in the midrange. He’s taking close to three three-pointers a night and shooting just 31.1 percent. Finding quality shots is the name of the game, and if you’re not hitting certain shots, you need to find a way to get better.

But Bam’s calling card is his defense. He has been a top five defensive player of the year for five straight years and has also made the all-defensive team every season. For Claxton, he will need to find success at the rim and make Bam work hard on that side of the ball. For Nic, he has a busy week in the middle. With that game concluded, he will have to deal with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday before a showdown with Victor Wembanyama on Friday night. For Claxton, games like these are a big test, and as he gets further away from his back injury, the more he can start to look like his old self.

Player to watch: Tyler Herro

It’s always fun to watch a young player grow into the leading option. Since Miami’s miraculous run to 2023 NBA finalsHerro has gradually taken the reins of Miami’s offense. He has led the team in usage rate the past two seasons and is the player Erik Spoelstra turns to when he needs a bucket late

Herro is top 20 in scoring and shooting a career-best 40.6% from 3-point range on a career-high 10 attempts per game. match. With Jimmy Butler’s status in Miami up into the airif Herro is the best option, it will help Miami stay afloat as they try to hold on to a playoff spot.

Speaking of being the leading option, Cam Johnson is getting adjusted to life at number one. CJ turned it in for a career-high six times as the Jazz made him the center of attention.

From the Vault

On Saturday, it was announced that baseball Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson has died at the age of 65. Rickey was the greatest leadoff hitter in MLB history and has highlights that will last several lifetimes. Let’s take it back to 1989 World Series and watch Rickey go to work mod San Francisco Giants

More reading: Hot Hot Hoops and SB Nation NBA