The Miami Heat earned their 30th victory of the season against the Indiana Pacers. The Heat defeated the Pacers 116-111 to improve to 30-25 overall on the season. The Heat and Pacers have now split the season series at two games a piece. These two teams are very evenly matched and all four of their games this year have gone down to the end of the game. Pacers’ Head Coach Rick Carlisle had strong praise for the Heat postgame.
“Miami has a deserved, an earned reputation as a hard-playing team, a team that always responds to previous losses,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said.
Bam Adebayo led the way for the Heat. The Heat have made a conscious effort to get Adebayo more shots. He has been made the focal point of the Heat’s offense. Giving Adebayo more looks offensively seems to be translating into wins. Adebayo scored 38 points on 12-for-16 shooting. He knocked down 14-for-14 from the free-throw line. Adebayo also grabbed nine rebounds and dished out three assists. Jimmy Butler spoke on Bam’s performance postgame.
“He’s found a great balance,” Butler said. “If you’ve got the hot hand, you’ve got to keep feeding that individual. And a lot of nights, it’s Bam. You’ve got to ride that wave sometimes.”
More Heat Contributions
- Jimmy Butler scored 25 points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out seven assists.
- Gabe Vincent scored 17 points, grabbed four rebounds, and dished out three assists.
- Tyler Herro scored 15 points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished out three assists.
- Caleb Martin scored 12 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, dished out three assists, and recorded four steals.
The Miami Heat face the Houston Rockets at home in Miami on Friday, 2/10. Tip-off from Miami-Dade Arena is at 8 pm Eastern.
