Miami Heat (14-12, ninth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Brooklyn Nets (7-18, 13th in the Eastern Conference)

New York; Thursday, 7:30 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Heat -6.5; over/under is 227.5

BOTTOM LINE: Miami aims to break its five-game skid with a win over Brooklyn.

The Nets have gone 6-13 against Eastern Conference teams. Brooklyn is ninth in the Eastern Conference with 25.7 assists per game led by Nic Claxton averaging 4.4.

The Heat are 8-7 against Eastern Conference opponents. Miami is third in the league scoring 56.2 points per game in the paint led by Jaime Jaquez Jr. averaging 10.9.

The Nets score 110.2 points per game, 7.5 fewer points than the 117.7 the Heat allow. The Heat average 120.7 points per game, 4.8 more than the 115.9 the Nets give up.

TOP PERFORMERS: Michael Porter Jr. is scoring 25.6 points per game with 7.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the Nets. Egor Demin is averaging 17.0 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 75.0% over the last 10 games.

Kel’el Ware is averaging 11.1 points and 10.2 rebounds for the Heat. Bam Adebayo is averaging 20.0 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Nets: 4-6, averaging 110.7 points, 41.6 rebounds, 26.6 assists, 7.5 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 45.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.4 points per game.

Heat: 4-6, averaging 114.2 points, 45.6 rebounds, 26.7 assists, 8.3 steals and 5.9 blocks per game while shooting 46.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.7 points.

INJURIES: Nets: Haywood Highsmith: out (knee), Ben Saraf: day to day (illness), Cam Thomas: out (hamstring).

Heat: Nikola Jovic: day to day (arm), Tyler Herro: day to day (toe), Pelle Larsson: out (ankle).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Miami is about to get voted onto the island.

This January, Jungle Island will transform into a full-on tribute to one of TV’s longest-running juggernauts with the arrival of the Survivor Ultimate Fan Cafe, a limited-time immersive experience celebrating the show’s 50th season.

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Opening on January 29, 2026, the café is a collaboration between Bucket Listers and CBS, timed to build buzz ahead of the milestone anniversary season, which premieres on February 25. The concept goes way beyond themed cocktails and logo merch, though. This is designed as a hands-on playground for fans who’ve spent decades yelling strategy advice at their TVs.

“This Ultimate Fan Cafe is more than an event; it’s an immersive tribute to the fan community that has kept CBS’ Survivor thriving for 50 seasons,” said Mike Benson, president and chief marketing officer, Paramount Television, in an official statement. “From iconic photo moments to themed food and real Survivor-style challenges, we’re inviting fans to live the adventure like never before.”

Inside the custom-built space at Jungle Island, guests will be able to test their skills with a rotating lineup of physical and mental challenges inspired by the show, all adapted for safe, indoor play. You won’t be dangling over the ocean or shivering by a fire to stay warm, but you will get a taste of the competitive spirit that’s defined Survivor since its debut in 2000.

Between challenges, castaways will refuel with a Polynesian-fusion menu created by chef Becky Brown, a MasterChef finalist and Chopped champion. The themed offerings include dishes like sole Survivor ceviche, campfire carnitas tacos, new era laksa noodles and a double elimination burger. There will be desserts, kid-friendly options and plenty of comfort food for those who prefer spectating to scheming.

The drink menu will keep the island vibes flowing with themed cocktails and mocktails, plus beer and wine. Also expect shareable pitchers of jungle juice or hidden immunity punch, which feels very on-brand for plotting alliances.

Photo ops will be baked into every corner of the experience, from a tribal council-style fire pit to a voting confessional booth and a winner’s wall designed for brag-worthy pics. Exclusive Survivor merchandise will also be available for purchase.

Tickets include a food and beverage credit and cover a 90-minute reservation. A waitlist is now open through Bucket Listers, with ticket sales launching exclusively on the platform. For more information, click here.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s Monday night stats look as though they could have come from a victory. The former Alabama All-American completed 22-of-28 passes for 253 yards with two touchdowns and one interception for a passing-efficiency rating of 113.2.

But they didn’t come from a win. They didn’t even come from a game that the Dolphins looked ready to win.

Miami lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-15 on Monday night, ending the Dolphins’ four-game winning streak and dropping them from among the AFC’s playoff contenders with three games remaining on their regular-season schedule.

“Supremely disappointed in the outcome,” Miami coach Mike McDaniel said, “and I think it does a disservice to, really, the objective, the work that we were doing on this opponent. And flat out, their team was better than our team.”

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Miami trailed 7-3 before a disastrous third quarter. Pittsburgh scored a touchdown on each of its first three second-half possessions while the Dolphins’ third-quarter possessions were both three-and-outs. On the six plays, Miami netted minus-20 yards, with Tagovailoa sacked on third down on both series.

Tagovailoa dropped back on seven third downs in the game. He completed two passes for 41 yards, threw one incompletion, got sacked three times and scrambled for a 1-yard gain.

With the Dolphins’ season set to end on Jan. 4 now, McDaniel was asked if he would consider using Zach Wilson and Quinn Ewers at quarterback now.

“I think it would be very rash and shortsighted if I even tried to tackle that option,” McDaniel said. “I think I have to look at the tape, and I’ll move on from there. But, realistically, I’m just supremely disappointed that we couldn’t come out with a win here. We had high expectations, and they fell short.”

After the Dolphins fell behind 28-3, Tagovailoa completed 16-of-18 passes for 194 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He failed to connect on two 2-point conversion throws.

Miami had won four games in a row by averaging 192.25 rushing yards per game and compiling more yards on the ground than through the air in each contest. Against Pittsburgh, the Dolphins netted 63 yards on 16 rushing attempts.

“There were just some things offensively that we were doing that we were messing ourselves up, really,” Tagovailoa said. “Just basically every aspect from my communication to the guys with them getting in the huddle, calling the plays, getting out, guys knowing where to go with their alignments, some of that.”