Miami, FL

Brooklyn Nets lose in Overtime to Miami Heat after absolute rock fight, 96-95

Published

10 months ago

January 15, 2024

Brooklyn Nets lose in Overtime to Miami Heat after absolute rock fight, 96-95

The Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat, and Mother Nature were on the same page tonight. While snow started to befall upon the Barclay’s Center around the fourth quarter this evening — bringing a wintry feel to this MLK Day affair — both teams kept it equally as cold inside the arena.

But while this evening’s storm threatens to give the New York Metropolitan area its first legitimate snowfall in over a year, icy shooting has been common amongst the Nets for some time now. With 34/22 splits tonight, it was their second game shooting under 40% in the new year. The Heat were close by, putting up 38/26 splits.

But in the end, it was more than just bad shooting. Jacque Vaughn became the goat when he failed to push the green light on what many thought was a winnable challenge off a Dennis Smith Jr. personal to preserve a timeout, then inexplicitly didn’t use it.

It was a game where I couldn’t help but feel bad for the NBA intern over in Secaucus who had to dig through the tape of this one to try and cut up a highlight reel. I also couldn’t help but feel bad for the fans, who watched it all boil into another loss for the Nets in overtime, making it their 14th game dropped in their last 18 tries.

Final : Miami Heat 96, Brooklyn Nets 95

——————

The Nets started slow, much like they have all season. Inefficient shooting became a clear theme early on with Brooklyn posting 38/21 splits in the first quarter.

Cam Thomas, who came off the bench and went 4-of-5 from the field and 1-of-2 from three during the frame, saved those figures from bleeding even further red. He was an early breath of fresh air for a Nets offense that was suffocating without the rim penetration needed to open things up for their wings. Then, the team got some oxygen in its system and came to life.

The cure to any stagnant offense is getting out in transition and the Nets discovered that about halfway through the opening period. Prying at the ball any chance they could, Brooklyn forced four Miami turnovers during the first quarter which led to nine transition points. That, and Miami shooting just 35% from the field themselves, helped Brooklyn carve out a 22-16 first quarter lead.

But the Nets put pressure on Miami from buzzer to buzzer with Dorian Finney-Smith and Dennis Smith Jr. leading the charge. One of Brooklyn’s most versatile players and a coveted glue guy by seemingly half the league, DFS got after it especially in the first half while tonight guarding multiple Miami players. Smith Jr. also finished with a team high four steals.

Brooklyn rolling with the switch played a large role in this one becoming a rock fight. The Nets kept a hand in just about every ball-handler’s face after a screen came. It worked well early on, as the teams usually sacrifice positioning for the rebound when implementing the switch, but Brooklyn’s hustle prevailed with the team winning on the glass at the half 31-23. It was a perfect defensive recipe and one that was necessary for the Nets to hold a lead for as long as they did.

Miami then delivered the hit you were waiting for during the entire first half. They jumped out with a 21-7 run to seize a lead in the third quarter. Not even the annoyance of getting whistled for a flopping technical foul could stop Jimmy Butler, who came out of halftime with a clear intent to get to the rim more often.

Miami brought their long range artillery out of the tunnel with them this time as well. They shot 5-of-7 from deep in the frame. While it wasn’t enough to raise their overall splits to respectable levels, it was enough for them to jump Brooklyn on the scoreboard for a few minutes down the stretch of the third.

While Butler came to life in that period, it was Adebayo and infamous “almost Net” from the summer Tyler Herro who played Frankenstein early in the fourth, terrorizing the Nets.

Adebayo set the tone early with some tough buckets inside. He won the battle of DPOY hopefuls vs Nic Claxton tonight, finishing with a whopping 20 rebounds and 11 points, a few of which came directly against Claxton in the fourth.

Butler checked back in around halfway through the final frame. His ability to get the rim returned with him and although some timely shots from the Nets in the fourth kept them in it, the ease at which Butler generated looks for himself and others by probing inside made winning an uphill battle which the Nets didn’t have the ammunition for.

However, Cam Thomas and Mikal Bridges still came out guns in hand. Thomas almost willed the Nets to a win down the stretch of the fourth, drawing free throws on consecutive possessions to give Brooklyn leads with under two minutes to play. But Herro followed that with shots at the other end to retake the lead on both occasions.

Then it was Bridges’s turn. After a missed three from Thomas and then a missed free throw from Adebayo, the Nets trailed 86-88 with five seconds to play. On Brooklyn’s subsequent rebound, he drove to the elbow and drew a foul which was later confirmed after a Miami challenge. He promptly sank both shots. That, plus a missed jumper from Butler right after meant overtime.

Overtime was a snippet of the game at large, as Miami started cold, but the Nets didn’t do enough to put them away. Thomas and O’Neale got the Nets out to an early five points lead. Then after a slew of Heat misses, Herro nailed two big threes to cut into that. Soon after, Jimmy Butler drew a foul that would put Miami ahead and the Nets on the losing side.

Bridges did get a look to potentially win the game after Butler’s shots from the stripe but Miami had it well defended. While that was the play that technically cemented Brooklyn’s loss, the call on Butler beforehand which Vaughn neglected to challenge seemed to draw some responsibility as well.

“I got a chance to look at it real quickly during the game,” said Vaughn. “I just felt they weren’t going to overturn that. We felt Dennis had his left arm wrapped around the backside of the driver.”

Update on Long Island

The guys in Brooklyn weren’t the only Nets to take on the chin tonight. Their G-League affiliate in Long Island also lost to the Santa Cruz Warriors by a 98-90 score. Despite the loss, it was a standout performance from Noah Clowney.

The rook finished with 19 points, eight boards, two assists, and two blocks. Two of those points were louder than the rest however. Jacque Vaughn spoke pregame about his potential availability going forward.

“We’ve definitely talked about it,” said Vaughn when asked if Clowney might get called up while Sharpe recovers. “I get a chance to watch his minutes and they’re graded every single game. I watched his last probably three games this morning. So definitely keep a close eye on what he’s doing. It’s something we organizationally have talked about, having Noah at some point join us.

Next Up

Nets after dark returns later this week with the team embarking on another Western Conference. The Portland Trail Blazers will welcome the team to its third time zone in as many games with a Wednesday evening matchup at 10 p.m. by our clocks.

The last time Brooklyn met with the Blazers it resulted in perhaps their worst loss of the season, although the competition pool for that seems to be growing week by week. The Nets will look to avenge their 134-127 overtime loss to Rip City, who stand at 10-29 on the season.

Source link

Miami, FL

Award Talk, Pro Bowl Voting Begins

Published

6 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been on a tear since he returned from injured reserve, and his performance in the Miami Dolphins’ 34-15 victory against the New England Patriots on Sunday might have been his best so far this season.

Not surprisingly, that performance has been recognized by the NFL, which has made him one of the three nominees for the FedEx Air Player of the Week.

Tagovailoa completed 29 of 40 passes for 317 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions against New England, good for a passer rating of 128.9.

The other nominees are Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Minnesota’s Sam Darnold.

Fans can vote for the award on Twitter, with the winner announced later in the week.

Based on the performances of Week 12, Tagovailoa would seem to be a front-runner for the AFC Offensive Player of the Week award — though the Monday night game features an AFC matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers.

On Monday, Tagovailoa also was announced as the Dolphins nominee for the 2024 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.

Eight finalists will be selected and put on the Pro Bowl ballot for when players make their votes in December.

The award, which began in 2014, went to Dolphins defensive lineman Calais Campbell in 2022 when he was a member of the Baltimore Ravens.

Tagovailoa is one of five QBs among the nominees, along with Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott and Jordan Love.

Former Dolphins linebacker Kyle Van Noy is the nominee for the Ravens this year.

Fan voting for the 2025 Pro Bowl Games opened Monday.

Fans can make their selections at ProBowl.com/Vote, on team websites (such as www.miamidolphins.com/pro-bowl-games/vote) or on social media.

During the final two weeks of voting (Dec. 9-23), fans can vote directly on
“X” (formerly Twitter) by tweeting the first and last name of the player, tagging the player’s official
Twitter handle or creating a hashtag including the player’s first and last name. All three of these
methods must include the hashtag: #ProBowlVote. During the final two days (Dec. 22-23),
social votes will count as double.

The selections will be determined by balloting from fans, players and coaches, with each counting one-third of the process.

Players and coaches will cast their votes Friday, Dec. 27.

The Pro Bowl Games will take place in Orlando on Feb. 2.

The Dolphins had six Pro Bowl selections last season: QB Tua Tagovailoa, RB Raheem Mostert, FB Alec Ingold, WR Tyreek Hill, T Terron Armstead and CB Jalen Ramsey.

Source link

Miami, FL

ACC power rankings: CFP hopefuls SMU, Miami, Clemson remain on top after Week 13

Published

14 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

ACC power rankings: CFP hopefuls SMU, Miami, Clemson remain on top after Week 13

Last Saturday was a day of relative chaos in college football.

Seven of the top 25 teams in the US LBM Coaches Poll lost, with much of the carnage occurring in the SEC, where three top-15 teams fell, all to unranked opponents.

If there’s a conference that stands to benefit the most from that mayhem, it just might be the ACC, which now has a conceivable path to getting two teams into the 12-team College Football Playoff. Its three most likely entrants — SMU, Miami and Clemson — held up their end of the bargain with comfortable victories Saturday against Virginia, Wake Forest and The Citadel, respectively.

But what does the rest of the league look like?

Here’s how the ACC’s 17 teams stack up after Week 13 of the 2024 college football season:

ACC football power rankings

1. SMU (10-1, 7-0 ACC)

Last week: 1
This week: vs. Cal

The Mustangs’ 33-7 win at Virginia was the eighth victory in a row for coach Rhett Lashlee’s team and clinched it a spot in the ACC championship game. A win against Cal at home on Saturday would give SMU its second-consecutive season with at least 11 wins — a mark it hadn’t previously reached since 1982.

2. Miami (10-1, 6-1)

Last week: 2
This week: at Syracuse

In their first game since a gutting loss at Georgia Tech, the Hurricanes pulled away late from Wake Forest, scoring 22 unanswered points in the final eight minutes for a 42-14 victory. With a win at Syracuse, Miami will earn just its second-ever trip to the ACC championship game, a surprisingly rare appearance for a program of its historical caliber.

3. Clemson (9-2, 7-1)

Last week: 3
This week: vs. No 14 South Carolina

The Tigers are done with ACC play and can make the conference championship game if Miami loses at Syracuse. Even if they don’t make it to Charlotte, a win against rival South Carolina would give them not only in-state bragging rights, but it would keep their playoff hopes alive, with a 10-2 overall record.

4. Syracuse (8-3, 4-3)

Last week: 4
This week: vs. No. 7 Miami

The Orange’s 31-24 victory against UConn gave it at least eight wins for the fourth time since 2010. With 470 yards against the Huskies, Kyle McCord broke the program’s single-season passing yardage record. Syracuse can cap off what has been a strong first season for coach Fran Brown with a win against Miami that would shake up the national playoff picture.

5. Louisville (7-4, 5-3)

Last week: 7
This week: at Kentucky

The Cardinals’ loss to Stanford in Week 12 was as ugly a setback as a ranked team has endured this season, but they bounced back by throttling Pitt 37-9. Louisville nearly doubled the Panthers in total yardage, 507-265. Now, it will try to snap a five-game losing streak to rival Kentucky.

6. Georgia Tech (7-4, 5-3)

Last week: 5
This week: vs. No. 6 Georgia

The Yellow Jackets held on for a 30-29 victory against NC State, assuring them of back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in 10 years. They racked up nearly 400 yards of total offense despite playing much of the game with backup Aaron Philo at quarterback. Next up? Their annual rivalry game against Georgia.

7. Duke (8-3, 4-3)

Last week: 6
This week: at Wake Forest

The Blue Devils have thrived in close games this season, with five of their eight wins coming by a single score following a 31-28 victory against Virginia Tech. They can pick up a ninth win on Saturday against a struggling Wake Forest team. It would be the fourth time since 2013 that Duke had won at least nine games, something it hadn’t previously done since its 1941 Rose Bowl season.

8. Pitt (7-4, 3-4)

Last week: 9
This week: at Boston College

The Panthers have lost four in a row since a 7-0 start that shot them up to No. 17 in the Coaches Poll. The latest setback was a 28-point dismantling at the hands of Louisville, a game in which Pitt lost starting quarterback Eli Holstein to a nasty-looking leg injury in the first quarter.

9. Boston College (6-5, 3-4)

Last week: 12
This week: vs. Pitt

The Eagles rolled past North Carolina 41-21 after holding the Tar Heels to 212 total yards and forcing three turnovers. The win got Boston College to bowl eligibility in its first season under coach Bill O’Brien.

10. North Carolina (6-5, 3-4)

Last week: 8
This week: vs. NC State

The Tar Heels’ three-game win streak got snapped in unsightly fashion, with a 20-point loss to Boston College in a game in which quarterback Jacolby Criswell threw three interceptions. The setback came days after 247Sports reported that 73-year-old coach Mack Brown plans to remain at North Carolina beyond this season.

11. Cal (6-5, 2-3)

Last week: 15
This week: at No. 9 SMU

The Golden Bears have had some tough luck in their first season in the ACC, with five one-score losses in conference play, but they’re ending the season on a strong note. Cal has won three of its past four games and became bowl eligible with a win over rival Stanford.

12. Virginia Tech (5-6, 3-4)

Last week: 11

This week: vs. Virginia

Since getting to 5-3 and seemingly putting its early season disappointments behind it, the Hokies have come undone, with three consecutive losses after a 31-28 defeat against Duke. It was Virginia Tech’s fifth one-score loss this season. Coach Brent Pry’s team will need a win against rival Virginia to earn bowl eligibility.

13. Virginia (5-5, 2-4)

Last week: 10
This week: at Virginia Tech

A difficult final stretch of their schedule has worn on the Cavaliers, who have lost five of their past six games after a 4-1 start. Four of those six matchups came against teams that were ranked at the time. Virginia was held to just 173 total yards in a 26-point home loss to SMU.

14. NC State (5-6, 2-5)

Last week: 13
This week: at North Carolina

The Wolfpack suffered an excruciating 30-29 loss to Georgia Tech, a game in which it took a six-point lead with a touchdown with 1:30 remaining, but allowed a go-ahead, 75-yard drive in just 1:08. It will need a win against North Carolina to avoid missing a bowl for just the third time in the past 11 years.

15. Stanford (3-8, 2-6)

Last week: 14
This week: at San Jose State

The Cardinal very nearly followed up its stunning win against Louisville with another victory, but allowed 17 unanswered points to squander a two-touchdown lead in the third quarter in a 24-21 loss to rival Cal.

16. Wake Forest (4-7, 2-5)

Last week: 16
This week: vs. Duke

Whatever faint hopes the Demon Deacons had of reaching a bowl were dashed by Miami in a game in which they were out-gained by a 508-193 margin.

17. Florida State (2-9, 1-7)

Last week: 17
This week: vs. Florida

The Seminoles snapped a six-game losing streak with a 41-7 victory against what’s now a 1-11 FCS Charleston Southern team. Already assured of a last-place finish in the ACC, coach Mike Norvell’s team can try to end a miserable season with a win against rival Florida.

Source link

Miami, FL

How To Watch: No. 8 Miami’s Final Regular Season Game at Syracuse

Published

22 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

How To Watch: No. 8 Miami’s Final Regular Season Game at Syracuse

It’s do-or-die now for The Miami Hurricanes. Win and they are headed to Charlotte to face the SMU Mustangs for the Chance at hold the ACC Title for the first time since joining the conference in 2004.

First, they have to defeat one of the best offenses in the Atlantic Coast Conference in the Syracuse Orange led by Kyle McCord who is also on a mission of his own.

The Hurricanes have the No. 1 offense in the country but with a questionable defense, it could be hard to say what makes of the Canes and their championship asperation. One step at a time for the Hurricanes however as they look to get some players back for the final game of the season in the likes of Elijah Alston and Damari Brown.

The the additon of those two players on the defensive side of the ball, the Hurricanes could push pass the Orange and the offense that stands in their way. They will try to do it led by Heisman hopeful quarterback Cam Ward and his gunslinging arm and litany of weapons surrounding him.

Date: November 30

Time: 3:30 ET

TV: ESPN

Location: JMA Wireless Dome

Series: The Hurricanes lead the series 16-7 against the Orange.

Last Matchup: The Hurricanes dominated on defense in a 27-19 victory where Syracuse QB Eric Dungey threw four interceptions. Canes QB Malik Rosier threw for 344 yards and two TDs.