It’s on to the next.
Thanks to a total team effort, the HEAT defeated the Pacers 99-87 Monday night at The Field House in Orlando to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Let’s get into how Miami got it done.
1. Goran Closes It Out
So, you’re not going to believe this, but Goran Dragić had yet another huge second half.
Shocking, right?
This time around, the Dragon scored a game-high 20 points after the break, including 13 in the fourth.
Among all his plays throughout the flurry, nothing touches this drive, shot fake and finish over Myles Turner:
Gotta love it.
When it was all said and done, Dragić tallied a team-high 23 points on 10-of-21 shooting, five boards, three assists, one steal and a plus-12 rating.
2. Herro Stays Clutch
Once again, Tyler Herro showed poise well beyond his years and made some huge plays in the fourth to keep the HEAT ahead.
After finding Andre Iguodala for three and finishing a nifty finger roll the next time down the floor…
…he came up with a crucial offensive rebound and converted a layup to really break Indy’s spirit.
And on the flip side of the ball, Herro made things tough on Malcolm Brogdon down the stretch.
In all, the 20-year-old rookie amassed 16 points (seven in the fourth) on 7-of-13 shooting, five rebounds, four assists, one block and a plus-eight rating.
3. Bam Steady Throughout
As usual, Bam Adebayo was an absolute menace on both ends of the floor.
Not only did he mix up his offensive approach with hooks inside, rim-rocking jams…
…and even a jumper for good measure, but he also continued to open things up for his teammates with great screens and perfect passes.
And on the other end, he competed hard against Turner and played strong help-side defense.
In total, Adebayo had 14 points on 6-of-16 shooting, a game and playoff career-high 19 rebounds (six offensive), a team-high six assists, one steal and one block.
Other Takeaways:
-Although Jimmy Butler exited the game in the first quarter due to a left shoulder strain, he toughed it out and started the second half.
In addition to racking up some key deflections, he also drew this charge on Turner:
That’s Playoff Jimmy for ya.
Butler ended up with six points on 2-of-5 shooting, three boards, two assists, one steal and one block.
-You’ve heard the phrase before: stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.
And that’s exactly what Kendrick Nunn did.
With Butler out for most of the first half, Nunn made his playoff debut in the second quarter and wasted little time to get going.
In fact, he recorded two assists and hit a catch-and-shoot trey less than two minutes after checking in.
He also got some run early in the fourth quarter and finished with seven points on 2-of-5 shooting, three rebounds, those aforementioned two assists and no turnovers.
-Kelly Olynyk provided a major spark off the bench and scored all 11 of his points in the first half.
That said, he also played stout defense inside.
In addition to those 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting, KO also accumulated eight boards, two assists and a game-high plus-15 rating.
Game Note:
-Kyle Alexander, KZ Okpala, Chris Silva (Left Groin Strain) and Gabe Vincent (Right Shoulder Sprain) were inactive.
Looking Ahead:
-The HEAT will face either the Bucks or Magic in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Date and time are TBA.