Heat hang on, top Nets 88-84 to stop slide

MIAMI (AP) -- Chris Bosh scored 26 points, Dwyane Wade scored 10 of his 25 points in the final minutes and the Miami Heat held off the Brooklyn Nets 88-84 on Sunday night to snap a four-game losing streak.

Hassan Whiteside had 11 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks off the bench for Miami, which won for only the seventh time in 19 home games.

Joe Johnson scored 19, Brook Lopez added 16 and Mirza Teletovic had 14 for Brooklyn, which had won six of seven and was seeking to get back over .500 for the first time since Nov. 12.

The Heat never trailed - and, because nothing comes easily to them anymore, still had to sweat out the ending.

A nine-point lead with 4:49 left was whittled to three, and the Nets actually had a chance to tie with just over a minute remaining but Teletovic's 3-pointer rattled out.

Wade made a free throw on the next Miami possession on a call the Nets argued to no avail, pushing the margin to 84-80 with 40.7 seconds left. Alan Anderson missed a 3-pointer on the ensuing Brooklyn trip, the Heat controlled the rebound and closed it out with free throws.

Deron Williams scored 13 and Mason Plumlee scored 12 for the Nets.

For the third straight game, Miami's offense was nowhere to be found in the third quarter.

Only this time, the damage was minimal.

Miami led 49-40 at the half, and still was up by five after the third - which, these days, represents a major development for the Heat. The third quarter has been an issue all season and it was again on Sunday, with Miami getting outscored 19-15 in those 12 minutes.

But the Heat held the lead, despite not even getting to the 20-point mark in that quarter for the third straight game. And in the fourth, Wade came through with 10 points in the final 5 1/2 minutes - just enough for Miami.

TIP-INS

Nets: Brooklyn fell to 1-13 when scoring less than 94 points. The Nets are 15-4 when scoring at least 94. ... Garnett played against the Heat for the 64th time, tying Ben Wallace for seventh-most by any Miami opponent. ... The Nets went scoreless in the first 3 minutes for the first time this season, and their 40 first-half points matched their second-lowest total of the season.

Heat: Miami's crowd was 20,181, a season-high at home. ... Wade's career-best streak of 31 consecutive free throws made ended with 7:21 left in the second quarter. His previous long streak from the line was 27, in February 2012. ... Miami isn't back home until Jan. 20 against Oklahoma City. ... Chris Andersen was diagnosed with a sprained right thumb in the first half. He returned to the game, with tape around the thumb.

UP NEXT

Nets: Host Dallas on Monday.

Heat: At Portland on Thursday.

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