Kyle Lowry, Bam Adebayo, and Jimmy Butler got on the board first for Miami. The Heat played fast-paced to start this one, pushing up the floor in transition to try and take the Nets by surprise. Lowry continued to quarterback the Heat, getting off some pretty crafty passes to set up some beautiful buckets.
Miami’s defense was impressive early on, forcing shot clock violations and multiple turnovers. Still, the Nets kept themselves within striking distance thanks to good shooting from Joe Harris and Blake Griffin.
Jimmy Butler was fantastic early in the game, playing aggressively, putting up 8 points, and grabbing 4 rebounds in the first quarter.