Nets aim to stem bleeding

MIAMI — There’s an old adage warning about losing the same game twice.

After the Nets lost to the Cavalier on Thursday in a heartbreaker, they can’t afford to let those stillbroken hearts beat them again Saturday when they face the Heat. And they don’t have long to get their heads right.

The Nets (39-34) picked the most pivotal stretch of the season to have their worst losing skid of the season. They have lost five straight coming into the all-important game against the Heat, the No. 6 team in the Eastern Conference, which leads the Nets by a half-game. Win, and the Nets will climb back into the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot. Lose, and they will sink deeper into the play-in.

NETS NOTES

“Yeah, it’s a big game. Obviously, there’s implications on both sides,” Joe Harris said. “But the remaining nine games are big. So obviously, this game against Miami is the emphasis, but there’s going to be an emphasis on every single opponent that we face from here on out.”

The Nets were championship contenders just six weeks ago and sat fifth in the East on March 13, but they have tumbled headlong into the dreaded play-in. Not only have they fallen behind the No. 5 Knicks, but also they have blown a three-game lead on the Heat in just 11 days, bottoming out with their 116-114 collapse Thursday against Cleveland.

At least the Nets hope this is the bottom.

“It’s definitely frustrating,” Harris said. “But collectively across the board, we’re obviously aware of where we sit in the standings and the importance of every game here down the stretch. [Head coach Jacque Vaughn] has been great where this was a tough loss for us.

“I felt like we should have won [Thursday], and we were in control of the game for the majority of the 48 minutes. You have a tough loss, so everybody’s feeling that. But at the same time, we have a big game coming up against Miami and in Orlando. So the focus is now shifted to that.”

Seth Curry will be out Saturday for personal reasons.

Miami’s Kyle Lowry and Caleb Martin are questionable to play Saturday with left knee injuries. Jamal Cain, Nikola Jovic, Orlando Robinson and Cody Zeller are all out for the Heat.