Defense matches offensive output in beat down of Nets

It was another night of spectacular offensive efficiency for the Miami Heat.

But for the first time this season, it was matched by a vintage Miami Heat defensive performance as the Heat took out the Nets (1-2) 103-73 at the American Airlines arena.

Nets star point guard Deron Williams scored just 14 points on 15 shots, and didn't earn one trip to the foul line all game, and things weren't much better for the rest of the team. The Nets shot 37.5 percent on the night, including 3-of-21 from the 3-point line and 10-of-17 from the charity stripe.

Meanwhile, the Heat (4-1) shot 52 percent from the floor and continued to drain what seems like an unsustainable percentage from beyond the arc. Led by Shane Battier's three 3-pointers, Miami shot 10-of-24 from the outside.

Dwyane Wade led the Heat in scoring with 22 points and LeBron James flirted with another triple double, which seems like a recurring trend as the Heat blows teams out, limiting James' minutes and opportunities to cap off the statistical performance.

The Heat had 25 assists on it's 40 field goal makes, which was exactly what the team averaged coming into the contest, good for fourth in the league. The ball movement and extra passing is a result of an approach the Heat coaching staff drilled before the season.

"It's probably in the clearest terms," Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Playing to our identity."

The game was well out of hand late, but Rashard Lewis used garbage time to stretch his legs out and find a rhythm. He finished with 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting.

The Heat will begin a seven-game road trip on Nov. 9 at Atlanta, which will finish on Nov. 17 at Phoenix.