Nets can't keep up with Heat in second half, lose in OT for third straight defeat

It was the kind of game played in playgrounds around New York City and Long Island. Hard. Physical. Every possession contested. An ode to Heat-Knicks bloodlettings of the 1990s, sans on-court fisticuffs and off-court enmity.

And it amounted to more frustration for the Nets as they lost in overtime to Miami, 96-95, on Monday night at Barclays Center.

Mikal Bridges had 26 points, Cam Thomas 23 and Royce O’Neale 15 for the Nets (16-23), who have lost three straight and eight of nine.

Jimmy Butler had 31 points and Tyler Herro added 29 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat (24-16), who trailed by 14 points at halftime after being held to 31 but scored 37 in the third quarter.

Thomas opened overtime with a layup and O’Neale drilled a three-pointer to give the Nets a 93-88 lead.

Herro’s three-pointer with 1:29 left brought the Heat to within two. After a timeout, Bridges’ spinning jumper in the lane increased the Nets’ lead to 95-91, but Herro hit a 26-foot three-pointer.

Bridges missed a floater in the lane and Nic Claxton was called for offensive basket interference. The one-point lead became a one-point deficit when Butler made two free throws with 11.1 seconds left.

Bridges had a chance to win it but misfired on a 10-foot jumper with one second left.

One of the themes of this season has been the Nets’ inability to put together complete 48-minute performances. That was a trait that continued against the Heat as the Nets were outscored 65-50 after halftime.

“How we start,” Thomas said, when asked if there was a commonality between last Thursday’s 111-102 loss to the Cavaliers in Paris and the loss to the Heat.

The difference, according to Thomas, was that the Nets fell behind early to the Cavaliers and were slow coming out of halftime against the Heat.

The Nets led 45-31 at the half after a defensive effort that held the Heat to 26.2% shooting from the field (11-for-42), which was the lowest opponent shooting percentage in a half this season. Miami’s 31 points was the fewest allowed in a half by the Nets.

“They got their rhythm [by] getting to the line, making threes, making open threes,” Thomas said.

When O’Neale drilled a three-pointer with 1:49 left, the Nets trailed 83-82. They took the lead on their next possession when Thomas converted two free throws.

Miami regained an 85-84 lead on a floater by Herro, but Thomas hit two more free throws.

Herro responded with a runner to put Miami ahead 87-86 with 24 seconds left. Thomas missed a go-ahead three-pointer and Claxton was called for a loose ball foul in the ensuing scramble.

Bam Adebayo (11 points, 20 rebounds) made a free throw to extend Miami’s lead to 88-86, but Bridges sank two free throws with 4.4 seconds left. And when Butler missed a pull-up 18-foot jumper at the buzzer, the game headed to overtime.

Monday night’s regular-season series finale against the Heat was the Nets’ first game since the loss to the Cavaliers. By comparison, Miami had played twice in that same time span, including blowing out the Charlotte Hornets, 104-87, on Sunday night.

So it was a matchup between a team that had not played since last week against an opponent on the second half of a back-to-back.