Plumlee denies James as Nets sweep past Heat

Mason Plumlee (L) of Brooklyn Nets is about to block LeBron James of Miami Heat during their NBA game at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami on Tuesday.DPA/Los Angeles The mighty Miami Heat sit atop the Eastern Conference but the Brooklyn Nets have their number. Joe Johnson scored 19 points, and Mason Plumlee blocked LeBron James’ potential game-winning dunk just before the final buzzer as the visiting Nets beat the Heat, 88-87 to complete a four-game regular-season series sweep on Tuesday night. It was the Nets’ third win by a single point over the two-time defending NBA Champions with the other a double overtime victory. “That’s just a heck of a play,” Nets coach Jason Kidd said of Plumlee’s game-saving rejection. “You have the best player in the world going against a rookie and we got lucky.” The Nets were clinging to a one-point lead when James drove the middle for thunderous throw-down, but Plumlee met him at the rim and swatted it away. Replays showed Plumlee fouled James on the right wrist but no call was made as the reigning league Most Valuable Player argued in vain with the officials. “It was a foul, he didn’t mean to do it on purpose but he grabbed my right hand,” said James, who finished with 29 points and 10 rebounds.  “I should have been going to the line for two free throws but what are you going to do about it?” Plumlee said: “My initial thought was just foul him and make him earn it at the free throw line. But I just got a piece of the ball.” Marcus Thornton scored 11 of his 16 points in the final frame, while Paul Pierce added 14 for the Nets, whose sixth win in the last seven games moved them within two of idle Toronto and Chicago for the third playoff seed in the East. Chris Bosh netted 12 points and Norris Cole had 10 off the bench for Miami, who had their lead trimmed to a half game over idle Indiana for the East top playoff seed. “Every single one of these games, however you want to slice it there, are plays to be made in the fourth quarter, and for whatever reason they’ve made more plays and more importantly the final plays going down the stretch,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We just haven’t found a way to get over that hump in the fourth quarter.” Minnesota Timberwolves 110, San Antonio Spurs 91: Spaniard Ricky Rubio scored 23 points, Kevin Love had 19 with 12 rebounds, and the hosting T-Wolves spanked the short-handed Spurs.  Boris Diaw and Cory Joseph scored 13 apiece for the league-best Spurs, who were without All-Star guard Tony Parker (back spasms) and lost Manu Ginobili in the third quarter to a left calf contusion. Dallas Mavericks 95, Utah Jazz 83: German Dirk Nowitzki netted 21 points to pass Oscar Robertson for 10th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 26,714 points, and the visiting Mavs shot a sizzling 56 per cent to beat the Jazz.  Dallas’ fifth straight win moved them within a game of idle Golden State for the West sixth playoff seed. Oklahoma City Thunder 107, Sacramento Kings 92: League top gun Kevin Durant scored 23 points before sitting out the final quarter - ending the NBA’s third-longest streak of at least 25 or more points in 41 consecutive games - and the visiting Thunder pulled away to beat the Kings.  Caron Butler buried all six triples en route to 23 points as well, as the Thunder opened the fourth quarter on a game-breaking 16-0 run to move 1.5 games ahead of the idle LA Clippers for the second playoff seed in the West. DeMarcus Cousins had 24 points and 14 rebounds, and Travis Outlaw also scored 24 points for the Kings, who were without starting forward Rudy Gay because of a sore back. Houston Rockets 145, LA Lakers 130: Terrence Jones and James Harden poured in 33 points apiece as the playoff-bound Rockets used a 49-point third-quarter to rout the lowly Lakers. Nick Young netted 32 points and Steve Nash handed out five assists to move into third place on the NBA’s all-time leader board as the Lakers (25-53) matched a franchise-record for most losses in a single season. Detroit Pistons 102, Atlanta Hawks 95: Rodney Stuckey scored 29 points, Greg Monroe had 21 with 13 rebounds, and the Pistons beat the Hawks to end a 10-game drought in Atlanta.  Paul Millsap had 24 points and 12 rebounds for Atlanta, who lead New York by 1.5 games for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot with five games remaining.