MIAMI HEAT 78, INDIANA PACERS 66

Miami draft pick Daequan Cook broke out of his slump at the Pepsi Pro Summer League to lead the Heat to a 78-66 win over Indiana at the RDV Sportsplex in Orlando, Fla. Miami moves to 2-2 with the win, while Indiana drops to 2-2 with the loss.

Cook finished with 21 points and guard Chris Quinn added 14, while Trey Johnson chipped in with 14 off the bench. As a team, the Heat shot a scorching 55.6 percent from beyond the 3-point line.

Things got off to a fast and furious pace for Miami in the first quarter, as Quinn nailed a three to get things going, followed by a pair of 3-pointers by Cook. Cook, the Ohio State product, has struggled throughout the week but started this game off strong shooting with confidence while leading Miami to an early 19-12 lead.

In the second quarter Cook continued to impress, deflecting a pass on defense that led to a fast break that Cook finished himself with a three the old fashioned way, as he made a lay-up and got fouled. Indiana got a much-needed spark off the bench from former Connecticut player Rashad Anderson, who found his stroke, going 4-of-5 from the field and scoring eight points in the quarter. But even with Anderson’s boost, Indiana still trailed at the half, 40-34.

Stephen Graham hit a jump shot to open the second half for the Pacers and cut the lead to four, but that was as close as they would get as the Heat immediately went on a 7-0 run to stretch the lead back to 11. At the end of the third, Miami led 65-54.

Despite strong play from Graham and big man Shawne Williams in the fourth, the Pacers weren’t able to come from behind as they picked up the loss. Williams registered a double-double with 19 point and 10 rebounds, while Graham finished with 17 points for Indiana. With the Pacers loss and the Magic’s 88-72 win over Chicago today, the Magic have now clinched the best record in the Pepsi Pro Summer League heading into the final day tomorrow.

- Mattson Newell