Hey, look, another dub.
Thanks to some strong defense and six double-figure scorers, the HEAT defeated the Warriors 116-109 Thursday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.
SHOP
Let’s get right into it, shall we?
1. Jimmy Does It Again
Another game, another big third quarter for Jimmy Butler.
After a pretty good first half, Butler kicked it into high gear in the third with 12 points, two assists and two steals to keep Golden State at bay.
Naturally, aggressive takes to the rack in transition were part of the equation.
As the game progressed, Butler set up his guys very well down the stretch and played hard-nosed defense as usual.
In other words, Jimmy was Jimmy.
When it was all said and done, Butler amassed a team-high 22 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and 7-of-9 shooting from the line, a game-high eight assists (tied with Draymond Green), six rebounds, a game-high four steals (also tied with Green) and a plus-10 rating.
2. Bam Comes Up Big In The Fourth
Simply put, Bam Adebayo did whatever it took to come away with the win.
Early on, that entailed absorbing a ton of contact inside for scores at the free throw line, but his biggest impact came during crunch time.
With Steph Curry trying to will the Warriors to victory, Adebayo responded with nine points in the final quarter and this big stop against the two-time MVP:
That’s what makes Bam so special.
Oh yeah, earlier in the period, Adebayo recorded his 250th-career block and moved past Udonis Haslem to stand alone at ninth all-time in franchise history.
Talk about an eventful evening.
Adebayo finished with 19 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field and a perfect 9-of-9 from the line, a team-high eight rebounds, six assists, that block above and a plus-nine rating.
3. Victor Provides A Spark
From the start, Victor Oladipo seemed to energize the squad with his strong play on both ends.
This jam late in the first quarter was a sight to behold…
…but these defensive sequences in the third…
…and this great no-look pass to Tyler Herro late…
…really showed why Miami coveted him.
So yeah…Oladipo definitely fits.
The 28-year-old ended up with six points on 2-of-8 shooting, five dimes, three rebounds and two steals.
Other Takeaways:
-Once again, Duncan Robinson did a little bit of everything, as he lit it up from deep, finished plays around the basket and played solid defense all evening.
I mean, take a look at this block on Kelly Oubre Jr. in the second quarter:
In all, Robinson tallied 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-11 from distance, four rebounds, three assists, that block above and a game-high plus-14 rating.
-Although Herro was a certified bucket in the second quarter (he scored 14 points in the period), he really competed hard on the defensive end and came up with this impressive steal late in the fourth:
Herro concluded with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 2-of-5 from beyond the arc, four rebounds, three assists, two steals, one block and a plus-eight rating.
-Andre Iguodala had a lot of fun against his former team and helped Miami seal the deal with all 10 of his points in the fourth quarter. The wily vet also accumulated six rebounds, two assists and a block before the night was done.
-Nemanja Bjelica scored his first points in a HEAT uniform, but more importantly, he trapped well along the perimeter and played solid help defense inside.
The big fella posted eight points on 3-of-6 shooting, two boards and a steal in 17:05 of action.
Game Note:
-Goran Dragić (lower back injury recovery) and KZ Okpala (health and safety protocols) were inactive.
Looking Ahead:
-The HEAT will host the Cavs on Saturday at 8PM. Tickets can be found here.