Preseason Preview: Unbeaten Nets Visit a Retooled Heat Team at Kaseya Center

Brooklyn's perfect preseason meets a Miami roster still shaking out its new pieces.

BKN @ MIA Oct 14, 2026 at 11:30 PM UTC

Preseason games are about rotations more than results, and Wednesday's 7:30 p.m. ET tip at Kaseya Center fits that description. Brooklyn arrives 3-0, while Miami is 2-1. Neither record means much in October, but the Nets have at least shown they can win while testing different lineups.

Brooklyn's health picture is the biggest variable. Mikel Brown Jr. (ankle) and Joshua Jefferson (back) are both questionable after sitting out at Washington on Oct. 12, when Michael Porter Jr. (wrist) was out as well. If Brown and Jefferson stay out, the Nets will lean on the group that has already been working through the preseason. Egor Demin has started at point guard, and Julius Randle led the team against Philadelphia with 14 points and six rebounds. Randle's steadiness as a primary scorer gives Brooklyn a reliable option even when the rotation is thin.

Miami has its own depth concerns. Dru Smith (calf) and Pelle Larsson (illness) are questionable, and Keshad Johnson (hamstring) is out. That could squeeze the Heat's wing and guard minutes and force Erik Spoelstra to stretch his rotation. The positive is the new-look group, led by Klay Thompson in his first season with the franchise. Thompson has only recently begun practicing with the team, so the Heat are still building chemistry. Home court and a more defined identity should help, but this is an early-stage version of that group.

I expect a choppy, rotation-heavy game in which both teams empty their benches. Brooklyn's momentum and Randle's scoring give it a slight edge on a night when both sides are short-handed, but Miami's home floor should keep it tight. Prediction: Nets 111, Heat 108.

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