MIAMI — This was not just any other win for the Nets.

Brooklyn stunned the two-time defending champion Heat, 96-95, on Wednesday night. In a stretch of statement-making wins for the Nets, this one was the most impressive.

The Nets have won seven out of eight. Brooklyn (33-30) is a season-high three games over .500. Paul Pierce scored 29 points - 22 of them after halftime - including a go-ahead layup in the final two minutes.

Deron Williams had only six points, but nailed a crucial step-back jumper to help the Nets stay ahead in the final minute. Mirza Teletovic, who has struggled since late January, came up with 17 critical points off the bench.

And when Miami had a chance to win the game with 3.5 seconds to go, it was Shaun Livingston who poked Chris Bosh’s pass away from James. Joe Johnson saved it from going out of bounds and time ran out.

“Livingston made a heck of a play to deflect it,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It looked like LeBron had an angle to the rim.”

Instead, the Nets held on. By winning the first three meetings, Brooklyn clinched the season series against Miami for the first time since before James arrived here in 2010. Before this season, the Nets hadn’t even managed to win a game against the Heat since James’ arrival.

“If we had the answer, we would have won,” James said. “They are a very good team and exploit mismatches. They have a lot of guys who can beat you off the dribble and they share the ball.”

James finished with 19 points - but he didn’t take a shot in the fourth quarter. Bosh had 24 and Dwyane Wade had 22 for Miami (44-18). But it wasn’t enough to outdo the surging Nets, who found a way to win without Kevin Garnett (back spasms) and Andrei Kirilenko (sprained right ankle).

The Nets had Miami’s attention from the beginning, as the former trailed by as many as eight in the first half. But the Nets surged back to tie the score at 42 by halftime. In the third quarter, Brooklyn began to pull away thanks to Pierce. He exploded for 17 points in that quarter and helped give the Nets control of the game.

After starting the season 10-21, the Nets are the Eastern Conference’s best team in 2014 at 23-9.

“We definitely have the talent,” said Andray Blatche, who scored 11 off the bench. “We have the players, have the coaching staff. We just started off slow this season. We’re clicking now.”