In a tightly-contested affair with 20 lead changes, the HEAT made enough plays late to defeat the Pacers 113-112 Friday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Let’s find out how they got the job done.
1. Dragić Wins It
You should know by now that the Dragon is no stranger to the big moment.
That was evident in the fourth, as Goran Dragić led all players with nine points on 4-of-7 shooting in the final period, including this bucket that won the game for Miami:
(Also note the great offensive rebound and heads-up dish by Bam Adebayo. More on him in just a bit.)
When it was all said and done, Dragić tallied 14 points, a team-high six assists (tied with Adebayo and Jimmy Butler), three boards and a steal.
2. Adebayo Pivotal On The Glass
Although Adebayo hit his first five shots and mixed up his offensive approach with jumpers and finishes inside, his biggest contribution came on the glass.
In addition to the offensive board above that led to the game-winning shot, he also had this important back-tap a little before that:
All effort.
Adebayo finished with 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting, a game-high 15 rebounds (six offensive) and a team-high six assists.
3. Robinson Makes History…Again
Thanks to drilling six treys, Duncan Robinson became the fastest player in franchise history to hit 100 threes in a season (31 games). It took Damon Jones 35 games to hit 100 in 2004-05.
In particular, Robinson really did work in the third quarter with nine points, including this one that set the franchise mark:
That was cool.
In all, Robinson had 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting, three rebounds and two assists.
Other Takeaways:
-As usual, Butler attacked the basket and took advantage from the free-throw line.
And most importantly, he got Myles Turner into foul trouble.
Of course, he also dished out some big-time assists throughout the contest.
In total, Butler amassed 20 points on 14-of-15 shooting from the charity stripe, nine boards, a team-high six assists and a steal.
-Derrick Jones Jr. threw down some huge jams and came away with a couple blocks, but he also sealed the win with this important stop:
Jones Jr. ended up with seven points, six rebounds, a team-high two blocks and an assist.
-In addition to scoring seven points in the fourth, Tyler Herro also had these awesome lobs to Jones Jr. and Adebayo on back-to-back possessions in the second quarter:
Whoa.
Herro concluded the evening with 10 points, nine boards and four assists.
-Kendrick Nunn remained aggressive as always and showed his entire offensive repertoire against a tough Pacers defense.
As such, he became the fastest HEAT rookie to score 500 points.
Nunn ended the night with 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting, four rebounds and four assists.
Game Note:
-Daryl Macon (G League - Two-Way), KZ Okpala (G League - On Assignment) and Justise Winslow (Lower Back Bone Bruise) were inactive.
Looking Ahead:
-The HEAT will get right back to it on Saturday at 8PM against the Sixers. Tickets for that game at AmericanAirlines Arena can be found here.