Bam Adebayo

Brooklyn Nets (15-46, 14th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Miami Heat (33-29, eighth in the Eastern Conference)Miami; Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ESTBOTTOM LINE: Miami hosts Brooklyn looking to prolong its three-game home winning streak.The Heat are 17-18 in conference play. Miami is third in the league with 54.4 points in the paint led by Jaime Jaquez Jr. averaging 10.2.The Nets have gone 11-27 against Eastern Conference opponents. Brooklyn is the worst team in the Eastern Conference scoring averaging 106.8 points per game while shooting 44.5%.The Heat are shooting 46.4% from the field this season, 3.2 percentage points lower than the 49.6% the Nets allow to opponents. The Heat average 106.8 points per game, 9.9 fewer points than the 116.7 the Heat allow.The teams square off for the third time this season. In the last matchup on March 4 the Heat won 124-98 led by 23 points from Bam Adebayo, while Noah Clowney scored 17 points for the Nets.TOP PERFORMERS: Adebayo is averaging 18.7 points and 9.9 rebounds for the Heat. Andrew Wiggins is averaging 16.3 points and 5.8 rebounds over the last 10 games.Michael Porter Jr. is scoring 24.1 points per game and averaging 6.9 rebounds for the Nets. Clowney is averaging 2.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.LAST 10 GAMES: Heat: 6-4, averaging 119.9 points, 50.5 rebounds, 28.0 assists, 8.9 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 46.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.7 points per game.Nets: 1-9, averaging 104.2 points, 37.7 rebounds, 26.1 assists, 8.5 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 44.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 118.9 points.INJURIES: Heat: Nikola Jovic: day to day (back), Norman Powell: out (groin).Nets: Egor Demin: day to day (injury management).___The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

CLEVELAND (AP) Jaylon Tyson scored 22 points, James Harden added 18 and the Cleveland Cavaliers avenged a recent loss in Detroit by beating the East-leading Pistons 113-109 on Tuesday night despite playing without injured star Donovan Mitchell.Evan Mobley also had 18 points and Dennis Schroder 15 for the Cavs, who split their four regular-season games with Detroit.Mitchell sat out his fourth straight game with a nagging groin strain. Coach Kenny Atkinson said the seven-time All-Star is trending better but doesn t know when he ll be back to build chemistry for the postseason with Harden, who was acquired at the trade deadline.Jalen Duren added 24 points and 14 rebounds and Tobias Harris scored 19 points all after halftime for the Pistons, who had their road winning streak stopped at six games. Cade Cunningham dished out 14 assists but scored only 10 on 4-of-16 shooting for Detroit.The Pistons cut an 11-point deficit to one in the fourth, but Sam Merrill hit a big 3-pointer to help the Cavs hang on.HORNETS 117, MAVERICKS 90CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Brandon Miller scored 17 points, and Charlotte routed Dallas for its fifth straight victory.LaMelo Ball added 15 points and nine assists to help the Hornets (31-31) reach .500 for the first time since Oct. 28 when they were 2-2.Brandon Williams had 18 points for the sputtering Mavericks. They ve lost 14 of 16.Charlotte, playing on the first night of a back-to-back, got tremendous production from its bench, with the backups shooting 12 of 21 from 3-point range.Grant Williams made four 3s, Josh Green and Sion James had three each and Pat Connaughton had two.Charlotte was whistled for a season-high 31 fouls and Dallas went to the free throw line 42 times, making 31. However, the Mavericks made only 3 of 22 shots from beyond the 3-point arc and could never get on track offensively in the second half making just 11 field goals.MAGIC 126, WIZARDS 109ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Paolo Banchero equaled a season high with 37 points, Desmond Bane scored 25 and Orlando eased to a victory over Washington.Banchero went 15 of 21 from the field as Orlando shot 55.3% and dominated with its starters on the floor to end a two-game skid. The Magic are seventh in the Eastern Conference.Jett Howard scored 12 points and Jalen Suggs, Jevon Carter and Moritz Wagner had 10 apiece for an Orlando team that was missing injured regulars Anthony Black (quad), Wendell Carter Jr. (ankle) and Franz Wagner (ankle).Rookie Will Riley scored 19 points and Jaden Hardy added 18 for the Wizards, who had nine healthy players available and lost their sixth straight.KNICKS 111, RAPTORS 95TORONTO (AP) Jalen Brunson had 26 points and 10 assists, Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 points and 12 rebounds, and New York beat Toronto for its fifth win in six games.After snapping San Antonio s 11-game winning streak on Sunday, the Knicks ran their win streak against Toronto to 12. The Raptors last beat New York on Jan. 22, 2023, a 125-116 win at Toronto.The Knicks (40-22) became the third Eastern Conference team to reach 40 wins, joining Detroit and Boston. OG Anunoby scored 15 points against his former team, Landry Shamet and Josh Hart each had 12 and Mikal Bridges added 11 for New York.Brandon Ingram scored 31 points and RJ Barrett had 20 for Toronto, which lost its fourth straight at home and dropped to 4-10 against Atlantic Division opponents.Toronto s Scottie Barnes scored 14 points, and Immanuel Quickley had 13 points and 12 assists.New York had 17 turnovers, leading to 22 points for Toronto. The Raptors were sloppy, too, making 15 miscues that led to 17 points for the Knicks.New York s reserves outscored Toronto s 26-8.HEAT 124, NETS 98MIAMI (AP) Bam Adebayo had 23 points, nine rebounds and six steals, and Miami beat Brooklyn in the opener of a two-game series.Tyler Herro added 22 points and Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 20 for the Heat, who won for the fifth time in seven games.Adebayo and Herro each had 15 points at halftime, while Jaquez and Andrew Wiggins both had 13 as Miami built a 69-54 lead. The Heat shot 53% in the first two quarters before pulling away in the fourth quarter and leading by 27.Noah Clowney scored 17 points for the Nets, who lost their ninth straight. Ziaire Williams had 16 points and Nolan Traore added 14.Nets leading scorer Michael Porter Jr. had a miserable night, going 3 for 17 and missing all nine 3-point attempts. He finished with nine points.Brooklyn hasn t won since consecutive victories nearly a month ago.SPURS 131, 76ERS 91PHILADELPHIA (AP) Dylan Harper scored 22 points and Victor Wembanyama needed only 10 to help San Antonio bounce back from its first loss in 12 games and rout Philadelphia.The Spurs hit 18 3-pointers and wrapped their annual rodeo road trip with a 5-1 record. They had won 11 straight games overall before they lost Sunday to the New York Knicks.No worries in Philly about a losing streak. San Antonio never trailed and led by 49 points at the end of the third quarter. Devin Vassell hit six 3-pointers and scored 22 points for the Spurs.Tyrese Maxey scored 21 points for the Sixers. They scored only 11 points total in the third quarter.THUNDER 116, BULLS 108CHICAGO (AP) Jared McCain scored 20 points, Isaiah Joe added 19 and Oklahoma City playing without star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander beat Chicago.The defending NBA champion Thunder held out Gilgeous-Alexander to manage an abdominal strain that sidelined him for most of last month. But even without the reigning MVP, they had more than enough to win for the sixth time in seven games. They lead the Western Conference at 48-15.McCain made four 3-pointers. Aaron Wiggins scored 18 points. Jaylin Williams had 17 points and 16 rebounds. Cason Wallace had 17 points, and Chet Holmgren added 12 points and 11 rebounds.Collin Sexton scored 20 points for Chicago, including a 3 in the closing minute that cut it to 112-106. But the Bulls got back to losing after stopping an 11-game skid with a lopsided win over Milwaukee on Sunday.Guerschon Yabusele had a season-high 18 points and 12 rebounds for his third double-double in 11 games since a trade-deadline deal with New York. The 6-foot-8, 283-pound Frenchman made four 3-pointers.TIMBERWOLVES 117, GRIZZLIES 110MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Anthony Edwards scored 41 points as Minnesota overcame a sluggish first half to beat Memphis.The Timberwolves, who moved into fourth in the Western Conference over the weekend, have won four in a row and seven of eight. Memphis saw its two-game winning streak end.Julius Randle added 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Wolves and Ayo Dosunmu contributed 14 points off the bench.Jaylen Wells led Memphis with 19 points and Cedric Coward added 15. Memphis went on a 12-2 run to cut it to four points in the final minute but couldn t complete the rally.Edwards, fresh off being named Western Conference Player of the Week, took over in the fourth quarter. He scored 13 points, including three 3-pointers, as the Wolves pulled away. It was his ninth 40-point game of the season, and fans serenaded him with MVP! chants in the final minute.

Less than a month removed from recording five steals in a game, Adebayo matched his career-high with six steals in Tuesday's blowout victory. The Heat center shot 1-of-7 from beyond the arc against the Nets, and that was the only issue for fantasy managers. The overall field goal percentage was solid, so the robust stat line did not lose any luster. With the Heat playing the Nets again on Thursday, fantasy managers who have Adebayo rostered are benefiting from a nice schedule to open Week 19.

Ware finished Tuesday's victory with his 20th double-double, joining Bam Adebayo to make some franchise history. The duo is the first Heat tandem to record at least 20 double-doubles in the same season since LeBron James and Chris Bosh did so in 2010-11. Over the past three weeks, Ware has provided sixth-round per-game fantasy value, which aligns with his season-long value. Consistency can be an issue for the second-year center, but he's managed to clean that up recently.

Bam Adebayo had 23 points, nine rebounds and six steals, and the Miami Heat beat the Brooklyn Nets 124-98 on Tuesday night in the opener of a two-game series. Tyler Herro added 22 points and Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 20 for the Heat, who won for the fifth time in seven games. Adebayo and Herro each had 15 points at halftime, while Jaquez and Andrew Wiggins both had 13 as Miami built a 69-54 lead.