Thanks to two big runs in the third quarter, the HEAT pulled away from the Pacers and ultimately closed things out in a 114-92 beatdown Monday night at VISA Athletic Center in Orlando.
Let’s get right to it.
1. Butler Sharp from The Start
After missing the past three games with right foot soreness, Jimmy Butler wasted little time to get going.
Seriously, he kicked things off by absorbing contact and hitting two free throws.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
That said, Butler also did his thing in the third quarter and helped Miami gain separation from Indy.
In fact, he scored nine points in the period, including this tough and-one finish over Justin Holiday:
And on the flip side of the ball, Butler made things tough on T.J. Warren throughout the contest.
When it was all said and done, the 30-year-old Butler tallied a game-high 19 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field and 9-of-11 shooting from the line, a game-high 11 rebounds, five assists, a game-high four steals, one block and a plus-17 rating.
2. Dragić & Jones Jr. Run It
Simply put, the Pacers had no answer for the Goran Dragić/Derrick Jones Jr. pick-and-roll.
Whether Dragić was finishing plays with contact…
…or lobbing it up to “Airplane Mode”...
…things usually worked out well.
All told, four of Dragić’s game-high nine assists went to Jones Jr., who scored 10 of his 18 points in the second quarter.
In addition to Jones Jr.’s 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting, he also amassed five boards (three offensive), one steal and one block. Dragić, on the other end, accumulated 11 points on 5-of-16 shooting, six boards, one steal and a plus-22 rating to go along with his aforementioned nine assists.
3. Crowder Stays Strong on Both Ends
Another game, another Jae Crowder shooting exhibition.
From the opening tip, Crowder continued to space the floor and open things up for both himself and others.
That wasn’t all, though, as the 30-year-old vet also played hard-nosed defense against Victor Oladipo.
I mean, just take a look at him diagnose this play and hit the deck for the loose ball:
He knows all about the culture.
“Bossman” finished the contest with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 4-of-6 from deep, eight boards, four assists, two steals, one block and a plus-16 rating.
Other Takeaways:
-Bam Adebayo blew up so many possessions for Indiana and was pretty much everywhere defensively.
Oh yeah, he also came through with this monster jam late in the second quarter:
Adebayo ended up with 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting, nine rebounds, four assists, a game-high three blocks and a plus-16 rating.
-Duncan Robinson helped Miami open the floodgates in the third quarter with 11 points, including this crafty reverse layup:
In total, Robinson had 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-10 from distance, five boards and a game-high plus-24 rating.
-Tyler Herro made sure the Pacers would not mount a comeback and scored 10 of his 17 points in the fourth. He also had five rebounds and two assists before the night was done.
Game Note:
-Kyle Alexander, Kendrick Nunn (Self Isolating), KZ Okpala (Personal Reasons) and Chris Silva were inactive.
Looking Ahead:
-The HEAT will face the Thunder on Wednesday at 8PM. As usual, you can catch the game on FOX Sports Sun.