Adebayo scores 23 points as Heat snap 3-game skid with 110-95 win over Nets

MIAMI (AP) — Bam Adebayo scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half and the Miami Heat snapped a three-game skid with a 110-95 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.

Nikola Jovic scored 18 points and Tyler Herro added 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat, who are 7-0 when holding opponents under 100 points. Miami’s Duncan Robinson had 17 points, shooting 5 for 10 from 3-point range.

Cam Johnson and Noah Clowney each scored 19 points for Brooklyn. The Nets’ Keon Johnson scored 15 and Tyrese Martin finished with 14.

Brooklyn closed the first half on a 17-6 run and cut its deficit to a point at the break. The Heat outscored the Nets 52-38 in the second half.

Heat star forward Jimmy Butler missed his second straight game because of a stomach illness. Miami reserve guard Dru Smith left the game because of a lower left leg injury early in the second quarter and did not return.

Nets: Brooklyn is 2-8 since a season-best three-game win streak in November. Six of the losses have been by double figures, including two by 25 or more points.

Heat: Miami snapped a three-game skid. The win marked the second time this season Miami avoided a four-game slide.

After scoring eight points and squandering a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 121-114 loss at Orlando, Miami began the fourth period Monday with five unanswered points, stretching its lead to 88-78. The Heat outscored Brooklyn 27-17 in the period.

Miami shot 21 of 24 from the line, with Adebayo going 7 for 8 and Herro 5 for 6.

Both teams are back in action Thursday. The Nets visit Milwaukee and the Heat are at Orlando.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Miami Heat guard Dru Smith (12) dribbles as Brooklyn Nets guard Keon Johnson (45) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Miami Heat forward Haywood Highsmith, front left, looks to pass the ball as Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons (10) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) drives to the basket as Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic, left, defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Miami Heat guard Dru Smith, left, loses control of the ball as Brooklyn Nets guard Keon Johnson recovers the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton, left, dribbles the ball as Miami Heat guard Alec Burks (18) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo, left, defends Brooklyn Nets forward Noah Clowney, center, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro, center right, goes to the basket as Brooklyn Nets guard Keon Johnson (45) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Netflix will have one of its biggest days Wednesday since the site launched in 1998 when it airs two NFL games for the first time.

“NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix” begins with a two-hour pregame show at 11 a.m., before Pittsburgh hosts Kansas City. Baltimore faces Houston in the second game.

The streaming giant agreed to a three-year contract in May to carry Christmas Day games.

Netflix’s 282.3 million subscribers in over 190 countries will be able to stream the games, marking the first time one outlet has distributed an NFL game globally. Netflix will have the games available in five languages — English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and German.

The games will also air on CBS affiliates in Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Houston. NFL policy dictates that games on cable or being exclusively streamed must also be on an over-the-air station in the competing teams’ markets. It will also be available on mobile devices in the U.S. for those who have NFL+.

The biggest reason is money. The league is getting $150 million from Netflix for the two games this season. It also continues the NFL’s moves into streaming — Thursday night games are in their third season on Amazon Prime Video and the “Sunday Ticket” package moved to YouTube TV last year.

That’s true, but the league wasn’t about to give up Christmas after seeing the ratings. Last year’s three games averaged 28.68 million viewers. The early afternoon contest between the Las Vegas Raiders and Chiefs led the way, averaging 29.48 million.

The Chiefs, Steelers, Ravens and Texans played on Saturday, giving them the same turnaround they would have if they played on Sunday and then Thursday.

All four have clinched playoff spots in the AFC, but seeding remains up for grabs.

Kansas City (14-1) can clinch the top seed — which would mean a first-round bye and home field throughout the playoffs — with a win over the Steelers. Pittsburgh and Baltimore are tied atop the AFC North at 10-5, with the Steelers holding the tiebreaker due to a better conference record.

Houston (9-6) has wrapped up the AFC South and holds the fourth seed.

Netflix hopes so. Brandon Riegg, Netflix’s vice president of nonfiction series and sports, said the system was stress tested, and then some, during the Nov. 14 bout, along with internet service providers reporting they were also overwhelmed by the surge that occurred before and during the fight.

The bout peaked at 65 million concurrent streams, including 38 million concurrent streams in the United States. According to the website Down Detector, nearly 85,000 viewers logged problems with outages or streaming leading up to and during the fight.

Possible? Yes. Likely? No.

The largest audience for a streamed-exclusive NFL game was 23 million on Peacock for last season’s AFC wild-card game between the Miami Dolphins and Chiefs.

Nielsen will measure the ratings for the Christmas Day games, with early numbers expected late afternoon on Thursday.

It will probably beat kickoff for both games, but especially around 5:45 p.m. EST. That would be near halftime of the Ravens-Texans game, and when Beyoncé will be performing.

Mariah Carey will kick off the day with a taped performance of “All I Want for Christmas is You.”

There is no word if Taylor Swift will make the trip to Pittsburgh to watch her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Swift has been spending time in Kansas City since she wrapped up her Eras Tour two weeks ago.

The NFL will have at least two games on Dec. 25 in 2025 and ’26, with Netflix slated to have at least one each year. Amazon Prime Video will have a night game with Christmas on a Thursday next year.

Netflix’s worldwide partnership with World Wrestling Entertainment will begin on Jan. 6 when “Monday Night Raw” moves to the streaming service.

On Friday, Netflix secured the U.S. rights for the 2027 and 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Taylor Swift arrives with her mother, Andrea Swift, before an NFL football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

FILE - An NFL logo is pictured before an NFL football game between the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

FILE - The Netflix logo is shown in this photo from the company's website, in New York, Feb. 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)