The Brooklyn Nets escaped Miami Sunday with a 102-101 last-second victory over the Heat, but it wasn't without casualty as Kevin Durant suffered an injury that forced him out of the game.

Nets forward Royce O'Neale scored on a putback off a Kyrie Irving miss before Jimmy Butler missed a layup at the buzzer to give Brooklyn the win. However, the majority of the focus Sunday was on a play in the third quarter.

Durant left the game after Butler fell into his right knee while coming down from a layup attempt. He attempted to remain in the game for the following possession but ultimately asked to exit and was later ruled out.

Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said postgame that Kevin Durant would receive imaging on the knee Monday.

The Nets forward missed six weeks last season after spraining the MCL in his left knee during a Jan 15th win over New Orleans. Brooklyn would go on an 11-game losing streak shortly after with Irving playing on a part-time basis due to New York's workplace vaccine mandate. James Harden ultimately requested a trade before the February deadline and Durant later said he felt his injury “derailed” the Nets' season.

The former MVP is having one of the best seasons of his career this year while carrying Brooklyn up the standings following a dysfunctional start. Durant is averaging 30.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists on 56.0 shooting, the league's best mark among 38 players attempting 16.5 or more shots per game.

Despite falling behind by nine points in the fourth quarter following Durant's exit, the Nets fought back while receiving contributions across the board. Irving finished with a game-high 29 points on 10 of 21 shooting, but it was an assortment of role players who came up big with Seth Curry scoring nine points and Nic Claxton chipping in six in the final nine minutes.

Irving said postgame that Brooklyn's depth is one of their best qualities when asked about Kevin Durant potentially missing time.

“I think one of the greatest qualities of our team is our bench, the way we support each other despite who's in the lineup,” he said. “Now it's just time to go out and exemplify that until we figure out the timeline with Kevin and when he could be available.”

The Nets are no strangers to playing shorthanded. However, Durant has missed just one game this season while shouldering a heavy offensive load. Vaughn said Brooklyn's resolve following the departure of their top player is a testament to the progress the team has made.

“We kind of talked about that before the game today. A lot of guys have been put in different positions to help the team, and this was just another one of those opportunities.” Vaughn said. “A job well done for all those guys who finished and really sustained through that stretch, (they) showed a lot of resilience and a lot of resolve to stay together.”

Sunday's win marks Brooklyn's 18th in 20 games. After a 5-9 start that saw Steve Nash fired and Irving suspended, the Nets stand alone with the league's second-best record, just one game behind the Boston Celtics. Brooklyn will have three days to rest before an opportunity to climb further in the standings when they play host to Boston Thursday.