Brooklyn the only unbeaten team against Miami after season sweep.
There were six games on the NBA schedule on Tuesday night, with the Miami Heat losing out to the Brooklyn Nets in a thrilling finish at the AA Arena.
For all the drama in the game it will ultimately be remembered for Mason Plumlee denying LeBron James a dunk attempt at the rim with two seconds remaining to win the game.
While there was controversy as there was contact on James as he rose to the basket, the call wasn’t made and the rest is history as the Nets completed a season sweep of the NBA champions.
Joe Johnson had 19 points, Marcus Thornton added 16 while Paul Pierce scored 14 for the visitors, who are the only team unbeaten against Miami this season to leave them just a half-game above the Indiana Pacers for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Brooklyn have now won three of their four games against the Heat by a single point, and with their form since the turn of the year, they will undoubtedly be a dangerous outfit in the post-season with their mix of youth and experience.
Elsewhere, the race in the West also became more interesting as a Tony Parker-less San Antonio Spurs fell to a loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves, while the Oklahoma City Thunder picked up a win over the Sacramento Kings.
Kevin Durant saw his streak of scoring 25 points or more in consecutive games come to an end at 41, and it wasn’t much of a surprise considering that he bemoaned the attention his run was getting as the Thunder look to challenge for the top seed down the stretch.
Meanwhile, coach Gregg Popovich wasn’t happy with his Spurs team after he conceded that the Timberwolves beat them “with their aggressiveness”.
While he had revealed he hoped their winning streak would come to an end so they could focus on the playoffs, the Spurs have lost two of three but are still three-and-a-half games above the Thunder.
Elsewhere, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Utah Jazz to move two games above the Memphis Grizzlies in the tight playoff race for the final two spots in the West, while the Atlanta Hawks couldn’t end the New York Knicks’ hopes as they lost to Detroit.
NBA Results:
Detroit Pistons 102-95 Atlanta Hawks
Brooklyn Nets 88-87 Miami Heat
San Antonio Spurs 91-110 Minnesota Timberwolves
Dallas Mavericks 95-83 Utah Jazz
Oklahoma City Thunder 107-92 Sacramento Kings
Houston Rockets 145-130 Los Angeles Lakers
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