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Saturday, Feb. 24 7:30pm ET
Jones locks up win with late free throws

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

MIAMI (AP) – It was tough for the Miami Heat to feel good, even ending a three-game losing streak.

Brian Grant scored five of his 21 points in the fourth quarter as Miami beat the New Jersey Nets 75-70 Saturday night.

The Nets erased an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit and closed within three points in the final seconds before Eddie Jones sealed the victory by hitting two free throws with 5.2 seconds remaining.

"It was one of those games you are happy to win but you don't feel well about how you finished up," Grant said.

Grant's fast-break dunk with 1:26 left gave the Heat a 10-point lead.

But New Jersey, which trailed by 19 points in the third quarter, pulled within 72-68 on Keith Van Horn's 3-pointer with 15.7 seconds left. Aaron Williams' tip-in, which actually deflected off Grant, narrowed the gap to 73-70 with 7.9 seconds to go.

"There was some concern," Grant said. "They made a pretty hard run and we couldn't put the ball in the hole."

Miami shot just 36.5 percent, compared to 38 percent for New Jersey.

Johnny Newman led the Nets with 17 points. Stephon Marbury, who twisted his left ankle in the second quarter, was held to 10 points. It was the All-Star's lowest point total since scoring nine in the season opener.

"Against these guys, you have to play the whole game," Marbury said. "Those guys are veterans. They know how to win. I felt good until I rolled my ankle."

The Nets outscored the Heat 26-13 in the fourth quarter, scoring the first 12 to start the period.

Anthony Mason, who added 17 points and 10 rebounds, ended New Jersey's run by scoring the Heat's first points at 5:20 of the period.

Miami's Tim Hardaway shot 1-for-13 from the field and finished with just four points and seven assists. Hardaway had a season-low three points in the Heat's last game.

"The last couple games have been atrocious," Hardaway said. "I wasn't making shots."

Heat coach Pat Riley criticized his veteran guard.

"Tim makes a lot of good plays for us," Riley said. "He's just not making any shots."

Miami held the Nets to just nine points in the third quarter and led 62-44 at the start of the fourth. New Jersey hit just three of 16 from the field in the third.

"The game would have been a blowout if we made some shots," Jones said.

The Nets went 7-for-28 from the field in the second and third quarters, combining for just 22 points.

"You have to play a complete 48 minutes against Miami and we didn't," Nets coach Byron Scott said. "They played hard for 48 solid minutes."

The Heat led 44-35 at halftime behind Grant's 13 points. Mason added 10 points and seven rebounds in the first half.

The Heat overcame an early seven-point deficit and closed the first quarter with an 18-8 run for a 25-22 lead. The lead changed six times in the opening quarter before Miami seized control.

Game notes
Nets forward/center Jamie Feick missed the game because of a nagging left Achilles tendon injury. Feick, who played 12 minutes Wednesday against Toronto, had surgery Oct. 9. ... New Jersey guard Sherman Douglas, who missed the Nets' last game because of personal reasons, returned to the lineup. ... When Miami beat New Jersey on Jan. 4, it held the Nets to eight points in the third quarter.

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RECAPS
Toronto 106
Washington 99

Charlotte 86
Philadelphia 85

Miami 75
New Jersey 70

Chicago 90
Vancouver 75

San Antonio 107
Dallas 104

Denver 85
Atlanta 82

LA Clippers 123
Portland 120


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