April 19 (UPI) -- All-Star forward/center Bam Adebayo took his defender off the dribble, bullied his way into the paint and drained a jump shot at the buzzer to lead the Miami Heat to a 109-107 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in Miami.
The Heat and Nets were tied at 107-107 with seven seconds to go when Adebayo got the ball on the left wing Sunday at AmericanAirlines Arena.
He eyed defender Jeff Green and used a hesitation move to get the Nets forward off balance. Adebayo then pushed his right shoulder against Green as he used his left hand to dribble toward the hoop.
The Heat star stopped his dribble when he stepped inside the paint, shoved his shoulder against Green one final time and then released a 13-foot shot as he fell backward. The final buzzer sounded just as the ball rolled through the rim.
"It was good recognition and great poise on his point," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters. "The understanding was: it better be the last shot."
Adebayo led the Heat with 21 points. He had 14 rebounds and five assists in the win. Goran Dragic recorded 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Heat. Dewayne Dedmon had 10 points and 10 rebounds off the Heat bench.
"A season can turn around after one game," Adebayo told reporters. "Crazier things have happened in this league. We just have to build off that. I'm always optimistic."
Landry Shamet scored a game-high 30 points for the Nets. All-Star guard Kyrie Irving had 20 points and nine assists in the loss. Nets forward Kevin Durant scored eight points, but left 4:03 into the game due to thigh injury.
Heat forward Jimmy Butler and Nets guard James Harden missed the game due to injury issues. Sunday's game featured 19 lead changes. The Nets bench outscored the Heat bench 52-37, but the Heat held a 20-8 edge in points off turnovers.
The Nets led 8-5 through the first three minutes of the game. The Heat then went on a 9-0 run and carried a 32-31 lead into the second quarter. The Heat outscored the Nets by three in the second quarter and held a 64-60 edge at halftime.
The Nets took the lead back on a Blake Griffin jump shot 55 seconds into the third quarter. They pushed that advantage to four points, but the Heat rallied again. The teams exchanged the lead several times in the frame, but the Heat led 86-84 at the end of the third quarter.
Dragic hit a reverse layup to give the Heat a seven-point lead with 6:50 to go. The Nets answered with a 13-0 run and led 105-99 with 4:04 remaining.
Irving later hit two free throws to give his team a 107-101 lead with 3:31 to go, but the Nets never scored again. The Heat ended the game on an 8-0 run -- capped by Adebayo's jumper -- to earn the victory.
"They were playing well and hitting a lot of shots," Irving told reporters. "You have to give them credit, but there were definitely some preventable plays where we could have been better down the stretch.
"I feel like I could have made the last three shots, but we just didn't come up with it and they capitalized on it."
The Heat (29-28) host the Houston Rockets at 8 p.m. EDT Monday at AmericanAirlines Arena. The Nets (38-19) face the New Orleans Pelicans at 7:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
