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Nets try to even series with Heat

May 12, 2014 - 4:44 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Brooklyn Nets clawed back into the Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Miami Heat last time out, and they'll try to even it 2-2 when the squads meet at the Barclays Center Monday night for Game 4.

The Nets halted Miami's postseason winning streak at eight games Saturday night with a 104-90 victory in Brooklyn.

Six Nets players scored in double figures, led by Joe Johnson's 19. The All- Star guard went 5-for-7 from long range as the Nets shot a blistering 60 percent from behind the 3-point arc.

Andray Blatche was next with 15 points, followed by 14 from Paul Pierce. Mirza Teletovic and Shaun Livingston both finished with 12 and Kevin Garnett added 10.

Deron Williams, who went 0-for-9 in Game 2, was a little better Saturday night. He went 3-for-11 from the field for nine points, but did hand out 11 assists.

"Tonight was the type of urgency we're going to need for the rest of the series," Pierce said.

LeBron James paced the Heat with 28 points, but only 12 of them came after the opening 12 minutes. Dwyane Wade shot 9-for-18 for 20 points and Chris Bosh was the only other Miami player in double figures with 12.

"We've got to be better," James said after practice on Sunday. "It's as simple as that. We've got to be better in Game 4. We understand that. Just because we didn't lose a game didn't mean we weren't challenged. We'll figure out a way to get better."

Game 3 turned in the third quarter.

Brooklyn held Miami to a 5-of-19 shooting rate while outscoring the Heat 26-14 in the third, turning a two-point game at the half into a commanding 77-63 lead entering the fourth.

The fourth quarter, during which Brooklyn was up by as many as 20 points, was uneventful save for an on-floor scrum between Miami's Ray Allen and the Nets' Alan Anderson that resulted in technicals for both.

"They outplayed us, particularly in that whole second half," Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said.

Brooklyn won for only the second time in 12 postseason meetings with the Heat, the two-time defending NBA champions.

This is the first time since 2007 the Nets franchise advanced to the second round of the playoffs. It's also the first time the Brooklyn faithful saw semifinal action.

The Barclays Center crowd responded Saturday.

"Loved it. We feed off of that type of stuff. It's like an adrenaline rush," said Pierce. "We wanted to show them we're not scared of them."

Game 5 will be Wednesday night in South Beach.