Nets 88, Heat 87: Marcus Thornton scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and hit the go-ahead 3-pointer as visiting Brooklyn completed a four-game season sweep of Miami.

Joe Johnson added 19 points and Paul Pierce scored 14 for the Nets, who pulled within two games of idle Toronto for first place in the Atlantic Division. Mirza Teletovic scored 11 points and Mason Plumlee scored the last two of his eight points with 41 seconds left to provide some cushion as Brooklyn became the first team to sweep a four-game set from the Heat in the “Big Three” era.

LeBron James collected 29 points, 10 rebounds and six assists but had a potential game-winning shot blocked by Plumlee in the final second as Miami slipped to a half-game ahead of Indiana for first place in the Eastern Conference. Chris Bosh added 12 points and Norris Cole scored 10 for the Heat.

The Nets grabbed a 75-74 lead on Thornton’s 3-pointer with 5:58 left but James responded with a go-ahead jumper and Rashard Lewis stole the ball from Pierce and took it back for a layup on the ensuing possession to make it a three-point gap. Thornton struck again with his third 3-pointer of the quarter to put Brooklyn in front 84-82 with 1:40 to play and Johnson scored to make it a four-point lead before James made things tight in the final minute.

Brooklyn came out strong and held a 12-point lead at the end of the first quarter before the Heat recovered and cut it to 44-43 at the half. Toney Douglas hit a pair of 3-pointers during a 9-0 burst that put Miami on top in the third quarter and James scored the final four points of the period to send the Heat into the fourth up 65-62.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Brooklyn G Deron Williams has recorded at least one steal in 27 straight games - a franchise record since the Nets joined the NBA. … Miami G Dwyane Wade (hamstring) sat out his seventh straight game. … Brooklyn F Kevin Garnett (back), returned from a 19-game absence on Sunday but sat out against the Heat and is expected to play on the second night of the back-to-back at Orlando on Wednesday.