(Friday, March 20th)

Final Score: New Jersey 96, Miami 88

East Rutherford, NJ (Sports Network) - Chris Douglas-Roberts notched a career- high 18 points and Jarvis Hayes matched that number as the New Jersey Nets fended off the Miami Heat, 96-88.

Vince Carter notched 17 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Nets, who won their second straight following a four-game skid. Brook Lopez contributed 15 points and seven boards for New Jersey, which is 2 1/2 games behind Chicago for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

"We've done a great job of moving the ball, finding the open guy and cutting down on mistakes, said Carter. "I think we rebounded the ball well and we gave ourselves a chance to win."

Dwyane Wade, who missed the previous game with a hip flexor, had another great all-around contest with 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists, but the Heat lost their third in a row after winning five of six. Michael Beasley had 17 points and Mario Chalmers 15 in defeat.

"I felt all right," said Wade, who had just four points in the fourth quarter. "I got to the basket some. I had some lift on my jump shot."

New Jersey led by a 21-17 margin after the first quarter and surged at the end of the second for a 51-39 halftime lead. Carter nailed a three-pointer during the latter stages of the period.

The Nets were in front by double digits half of the third quarter, but Wade scored the final three, trimming the margin to 67-63 moving to the fourth.

Luther Head's driving layup tied the game at 73 for the Heat with under eight minutes remaining, but the Nets scored the ensuing nine points, capped by a Keyon Dooling three-ball with nearly five minutes left.

Wade's bucket had the Heat within 89-86 with barely over two minutes left, but Hayes responded with a jumper, and Douglas-Roberts added the dagger -- a three-pointer for an eight-point difference with 1:10 to go.

Game Notes

New Jersey finished 1-3 against the Heat this season...The Nets' next two games are against Cleveland, starting with a home game on Sunday...Nets guard Devin Harris missed his third straight game with a strained left shoulder...Miami plays at Detroit on Sunday...With 1:57 left Wade made one of the most incredible shots of the season, but it didn't count. After a foul call, he threw the ball from near his own basket with one hand down the court before it went in the basket...Dooling had 10 points and eight assists.

03/20 23:33:18 ET