Buzzer-beater snaps Miami's 3-game skid

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo, second from right, is mobbed by teammates after he made the winning shot against the Brooklyn Nets at the end of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 18, 2021, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo, second from right, is mobbed by teammates after he made the winning shot against the Brooklyn Nets at the end of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 18, 2021, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

MIAMI -- Bam Adebayo was supposed to call timeout. He had another idea. This was the scenario that he had envisioned in his mind so many times, game tied, crowd on its feet, ball in his hands, final seconds ticking away.

"Your moment," Adebayo told himself.

He delivered -- when the Miami Heat needed him most.

Adebayo drove left, stopped and watched his 13-foot jumper rattle in as time expired, a shot that allowed the Heat to beat the Brooklyn Nets 109-107 on Sunday to end a three-game slide.

"He handled it the right way," Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra said. "He looked over to the bench, and at that point we just made eye contact. My hands were up, and it was like, 'OK, it just better be the last shot.' "

It was.

Adebayo had 21 points and 15 rebounds for the Heat, who trailed by six points in the final minutes before finishing the game on a 10-2 run.

Goran Dragic scored 18 points, Kendrick Nunn scored 17 and Trevor Ariza had 15 for Miami.

Landry Shamet had 30 points for Brooklyn, and Kyrie Irving scored 20 for the Nets. Brooklyn played again without James Harden, sidelined with a hamstring issue, and lost Kevin Durant early in the first quarter with a left thigh contusion.

"He's sore, but we don't know how severe it is," Brooklyn Coach Steve Nash said.

Jimmy Butler -- who called the Heat "soft" after their loss Friday in Minnesota -- was held out by Miami with a sprained right ankle, his 16th game missed this season.

Miami controlled the finish, and needed to. A loss would have left Miami 2½ games behind New York in the race for the Eastern Conference's No. 6 spot that will keep a team out of the play-in tournament. Instead, the Heat remained 1½ back with 15 games remaining.

"A season can turn around real fast," Adebayo said.

Durant left 4:03 into the game, after scoring Brooklyn's first eight points. He was fouled on a drive 1:33 into the contest and missed both free throws -- only the second time this season that he went 0 for 2 on a trip to the foul line.

He left not long afterward, and the Nets quickly declared his day over. Durant has missed 33 of Brooklyn's 57 games.

KINGS 121, MAVERICKS 107

DALLAS -- De'Aaron Fox scored 30 points, Harrison Barnes added 24 and Terence Davis II 23 as Sacramento snapped a nine-game losing streak with a victory over Dallas.

Barnes scored 11 in the third quarter as the Kings built a 21-point lead midway through the period. Sacramento, which never trailed, held off a late Dallas run that cut the lead to six with 3½ minutes left.

Luka Doncic scored 37 points, 22 in the fourth quarter, for the Mavericks, who lost for the fifth time in seven games following a season-long five-game winning streak. Dorian Finney-Smith scored 22 points, one short of his season high, and Jalen Brunson added 20 off the bench.

HAWKS 129, PACERS 117

ATLANTA -- Trae Young scored 34 points, Clint Capela had 25 points and 24 rebounds and Atlanta beat Indiana.

Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kevin Huerter each chipped in 23 points and Young had 11 assists for the Hawks, who have won eight of 10 and are 17-6 under interim coach Nate McMillan. Atlanta has won nine of 11 at home.

Malcolm Brogdon finished with 29 points and Domantas Sabonis and T.J. McConnell scored 18 apiece for Indiana, which had won five of seven on the road.

KNICKS 122,

PELICANS 112 (OT)

NEW YORK -- Julius Randle had 33 points and 10 assists, Derrick Rose made huge plays all over the court to spark New York's streak-saving finish and the Knicks beat New Orleans for their sixth consecutive victory.

Rose scored 23 points. He had the assist on Reggie Bullock's 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds left in regulation, blocked a last shot by the Pelicans that would've won it and then opened overtime with a steal and layup to give New York the lead for good.

The Knicks controlled the extra period from there to extend their longest winning streak since an eight-game run in 2013-14.

Zion Williamson had 34 points and nine rebounds in his first career game at Madison Square Garden. Eric Bledsoe scored 20 of his 22 points after halftime for the Pelicans.

TRAIL BLAZERS 109,

HORNETS 101

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Terry Rozier had 34 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds, and Charlotte rode a strong first quarter to a win over Portland, snapping a four-game losing streak.

P.J. Washington had 23 points and eight rebounds after missing three games with an ankle injury, and Miles Bridges added 19 points, including two highlight-reel dunks for the Hornets (28-28).

Rozier, Washington and Bridges were a combined 15 of 31 from three-point range as Charlotte snapped a seven-game losing streak against Portland.

Carmelo Anthony had six three-pointers and 24 points for the Trail Blazers (32-24), who played without star Damian Lillard for the second consecutive game due to a hamstring injury. CJ McCollum scored 22 points.

ROCKETS 114, MAGIC 110

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Christian Wood scored 25 points, Kelly Olynyk added 24 and Houston used a strong offensive showing in the third quarter to rally past Orlando.

Kevin Porter Jr. scored 22 and made four three-pointers points before fouling out midway through the fourth quarter as the Rockets snapped a five-game losing streak and a five-game road skid. Armoni Brooks chipped in 16 points and another five three-pointers for a Houston squad that shot 51.2% from the floor and hit 16 three-pointers.

Down as many as 12 points late in the first half, Houston used an 18-2 burst in the third quarter to flip the game. Flat offensively in the early going, Houston made 55% of its shots and hit five three-pointers in the third quarter to outscore Orlando 32-18 in the period.

RAPTORS 112, THUNDER 106

TAMPA, Fla. -- Chris Boucher had 31 points and 11 rebounds, and Toronto extended Oklahoma City's season-worst losing streak to 10 games.

Gary Trent Jr. added 23 points for Toronto, which has won three in a row. Malachi Flynn had 15 points and eight rebounds.

Luguentz Dort scored 29 points and Darius Bazley added 16 points and eight rebounds for the Thunder.

The Raptors did not take the lead for keeps until Boucher's three-pointer with 2:27 remaining. Trent set up Boucher for another three-pointer that clinched the victory with 10.4 seconds left.

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