On Tuesday night, the Brooklyn Nets allowed the Miami Heat to get closer in the standings.
The Nets will now attempt to retain the No. When they play the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night, they will be the 6 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
On Tuesday, the Nets lost 107-102 to Minnesota, while Miami defeated Detroit 118-105.
Brooklyn (43-36) presently holds a questionable one-game edge in the standings over the Intensity (42-37).
Brooklyn’s coach, Jacque Vaughn, saw Minnesota’s 58-46 advantage in the paint as a setback for his team.
In essence, Vaughn employed a seven-man rotation. Seth Curry and Cam Thomas, two of the regular rotation players, were among three other players who played fewer than five minutes. That could change on Wednesday during the second game of a back-to-back.
With 30 points and six assists, Spencer Dinwiddie led the Nets against the Timberwolves.
The Pistons (16-63) battled the Heat for a long time before falling 118-105 for their tenth consecutive defeat. After taking a 99-96 lead in the fourth quarter, Detroit surrendered 11 points without reply.
Despite the poor record, rookies Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey continued to stand out. Ivey had a group high 30 focuses to go with seven helps, and Duren contributed 20 focuses and 14 bounce back.
This season, Ivey has scored 30 or more points three times. Although he committed five errors, coach Dwane Casey was pleased with his performance overall.
Along with fellow center James Wiseman, the 6-foot-11 Duren started in a jumbo front court and only missed one field goal attempt.
When Isaiah Livers landed on Ivey’s foot while making a jump shot in the first quarter, the Pistons, already plagued by injuries, were given yet another scare. Livers returned to the game and scored 15 points despite fracturing his ankle.
Since 1979-80, Detroit will never again have a season with fewer than 20 wins.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were still on the team when Brooklyn split the first two games of the season series.
