Kevin
Durant scored 23 points, Seth Curry added 17 and the Brooklyn Nets overwhelmed
Miami Heat 110-95 on Saturday night, sending the Heat to their season-worst fourth
consecutive loss.

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Andre
Drummond had 13 points and 11 rebounds for Brooklyn, which got 11 points from
Kyrie Irving — who will play his first home game of the season for the Nets on
Sunday — and 10 from Nic Claxton.

Bam
Adebayo scored 14 points for Miami, which trailed by as many as 37 — its
biggest deficit of the season. The Heat were without coach Erik Spoelstra, who
missed the game because of a family matter, and assistant Chris Quinn took his
place.

Tyler
Herro and Max Strus each had 13 and Kyle Lowry had 12 for Miami. Jimmy Butler
was held to just seven points on 2-of-9 shooting.

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And
the Eastern Conference race only got tighter, now with the top four teams all
separated by only a half-game.

Philadelphia
(46-27, .630) moved into first in the East, percentage points ahead of Miami
(47-28, .627). Boston and Milwaukee — which lost Saturday night in Memphis —
are both 46-28 (.622); the Celtics hold the head-to-head tiebreaker at this
point over the Bucks.

Brooklyn
(39-35) remained in the No. 8 spot, now a full game ahead of No. 9 Charlotte.
The Nets and Hornets meet on Sunday night.

De’Anthony Melton had 24 points, Desmond Bane added 20 and Memphis continued to win in the absence of scoring leader Ja Morant, beating Milwaukee.

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Dillon Brooks scored 19 points and Jaren Jackson Jr. had 16 and two blocks to help Memphis win its fourth straight and eighth in the last nine games. Morant is nursing a sore right knee.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 30 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, scoring 18 points in the third quarter when Milwaukee tried to make a run. Khris Middleton added 16 points. The defending champion Bucks lost for only the third time in the last 13 games.