NBA: LeBron James inspires Miami Heat to Brooklyn rout

Miami's new look line-up continues to pick up where last season's championship winning side left off after running out 103-73 winners over Brooklyn.

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The defending NBA champions Miami Heat blew away their second successive opponent in a 103-73 rout over Brooklyn on Wednesday.

The Heat, who have opened the new season with a revamped roster that has taken little time to mesh, followed up their 25-point victory over Phoenix on Monday with another impressive effort.

LeBron James sparkled with 20 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists while Dwyane Wade top scored with 22 points.

Miami (4-1) made 10 three-pointers and befuddled the Nets with their passing, breaking the game wide open in the third quarter.

Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers made back-to-back three-pointers to cap a 10-0 run that put the Heat up 64-46 in the third, and James closed the quarter with a three-pointer of his own that stretched the lead to 23.

"As long as the guys have the right mindset for this and the maturity that if we play our game and hit the open guy, then you can see the strength of our offence," Erik Spoelstra, the Heat coach, said afterwards.

Deron Williams scored 14 points for the Nets.

After making a big splash in the off-season by re-signing Williams along with Joe Johnson and relocating to Brooklyn, the Nets have yet to make their mark on the court.

"Nobody said we're on Miami's level. Nobody ever said it," said Avery Johnson, the Brooklyn coach.

"So we're not there yet. We're definitely not there after three games of the regular season."

The Nets were hurt by 19 turnovers which helped to feed the Miami offence.

The Heat also got strong performances from their newcomers with Rashard Lewis scoring 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while Ray Allen, having already won a game with a last-second shot against Denver on Saturday, finished with nine points.

Blake Griffin scored 22 points as the Los Angeles Clippers beat San Antonio 106-84 to end the Spurs' 100% start to the campaign.

Griffin also added 10 rebounds, while DeAndre Jordan had 20 points and 11 boards.

Al Jefferson's 18 points led the Utah Jazz as they saw off the Los Angeles Lakers 95-86.

Kobe Bryant scored 29 in a losing cause for the Lakers.Shannon Brown sunk six three-points in the final quarter to help the Phoenix Suns beat the Charlotte Bobcats 117-110.

Brown scored 24 points in all, while Marcin Gortat had 23 points and 10 rebounds while Michael Beasley added 21 points and 15 boards.

The Boston Celtics edged out Washington 100-94 in overtime as the Wizards remained winless on the season.

The Detroit Pistons were also left still searching for their first win as DeMarcus Cousins' 21 points lifted the Sacramento Kings to a 105-103 victory.

OJ Mayo and Chris Kaman scored 22 points apiece in the Dallas Mavericks' 109-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors, while the Golden State Warriors saw off the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-96.

Ty Lawson's 21 points helped the Denver Nuggets to a 93-87 win over the Houston Rockets while the Atlanta Hawks used an 18-0 run to come from 83-69 down and beat the Indiana Pacers 89-86.

The Minnesota Timberwolves overcame the Orlando Magic 90-75, the Memphis Grizzlies saw off the Milwaukee Bucks 108-90 and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the New Orleans Hornets 77-62.

sports@thenational.ae

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