On Vince Carter's jersey retirement night, Brooklyn couldn't overcome the Jimmy Butler-less Miami Heat, falling 106-97. D'Angelo Russell led the Nets with 22 points and six assists, but a joint 42-point effort by Tyler Herro and Haywood Highsmith all but neutralized his output.
Vince Carter and his much-celebrated No. 15 reached new heights again when the Brooklyn Nets retired it at halftime of their game Saturday against the Miami Heat.
The Nets dropped a 106-97 game to the Heat, spoiling Vince Carter’s jersey retirement night as well as suffering their sixth consecutive loss.
Much needed bounce back for Heat in Brooklyn as they beat the Nets 106-97. Tyler Herro continues all-star season with 25 points. Much more Bam-like game with 17 points and 16 rebounds.
The Brooklyn Nets have not had much to be happy about this season due to how much the team is struggling with inconsistent play and injuries throughout the year. However, Saturday gave them a chance to shake things up as they were able to retire Vince Carter's Nets jersey into the rafters of Barclays Center for the rest of the fanbase to see forever.
Carter was originally acquired by the Nets during the 2004-2005 season in a trade with the Raptors that involved Alonzo Mourning, Eric Williams and Aaron Williams being sent to the Raptors. Mourning never suited up for the Raptors, securing a contract buyout and re-joining the Miami Heat.
Where Carter’s retired jersey hangs in Barclays Center is even more special. The Nets placed it next to Julius Erving’s, Carter’s idol, who stared for the Nets from 1973-76. He was the same man who introduced Carter into the Hall of Fame back in October.
The opportunity could be fleeting for Jalen Wilson. His window to start for the Nets — one that opened the last two games — could last only for as long as Cam Johnson remains out with a right ankle sprain and an already shorthanded Brooklyn lineup needs to adjust.
Butler was not on the injury report for Monday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic at Kaseya Center (7:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun), with multiple league sources indicating that the Heat will make Butler available for the game barring something unexpected. Butler plans to continue to make himself available to the Heat for games.
Brooklyn has plummeted to the bottom of the NBA standings amid injuries to Simmons and several other key players. The Nets have lost 11 of their last 12 games. They rank dead last in offense during that span, averaging 98.7 points and 16.4 turnovers on 41.0 percent shooting from the field and 31.7 percent from three.
However, all of the attention was on former Nets star Vince Carter, who had his jersey officially retired by the organization. Via The Brooklyn Nets: "The seventh Nets jersey in the rafters—Vince Carter.