Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving help Brooklyn Nets escape with the win over the Miami Heat

Kane Pitman

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Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving help Brooklyn Nets escape with the win over the Miami Heat image

The Miami Heat made a fourth-quarter rally but it wasn't enough, as Kyrie Irving helped the Brooklyn Nets close out a 128-124 win.

Irving finished with 28 points, including 18 in the fourth quarter, as the Nets snapped a two-game losing streak.

There was plenty of storylines to keep track of during this one, so let's jump to some of the takeaways.

KD continues climb on All-Time scorer list

The incredible return of Kevin Durant continued against Miami, with the former MVP tallying 31 points on 11-for-19 shooting.

Second in the league for scoring in 2021 averaging 31.3 points per game coming in, Durant looks as lethal as ever in an amazing return after 18 months off following a ruptured achilles.

The 32-year-old continued his climb up the all-time scorers list in this one, passing Robert Parish to now sit in 27th place.

Career night for Bam

Missing Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro, the Heat were lacking some offensive firepower.

On this night, it was Bam Adebayo who picked up the slack, with the 23-year-old pouring in a career-high 41 points on a very efficient 14-for-20 shooting.

Bam was relentless in the mid-range, consistently working to his spot and rising to knock down a shot that has seen marked improvement over the last 12 months.

Adding five rebounds and nine assists, Adebayo single-handedly kept the Heat in the game.

Harden's scoring takes a back seat

While KD was lighting it up, James Harden's scoring took a back seat. Incredibly, Harden's first 'basket' came on a goaltending call on Bam Adebayo with 8:45 left in the fourth quarter. 

Finishing with just 12 points on 2-for-8 shooting, it was another reminder of how potent this Brooklyn squad can be even without one of their big three having a big scoring night.

He dished out 11 assists for the game, recording double-digit assists in every game as a Net.

Joe Harris lights it up from the outside

While the question marks over Brooklyn's defence will continue, it's well established that this offence will be able to score at will.

The 66-point first half for the Nets was even more impressive when you consider Harden, Durant and Irving combined for only 24 points.

Picking up the slow was the sharpshooting Joe Harris, who poured in 20 points in the half including 6-for-9 shooting from beyond the arc. Harris cooled off in the second half to finish with 23 points but the damage was done in the pivotal first half. 

What's next?

After one night off the Nets and Heat will meet again in Brooklyn.

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Kane Pitman

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