Miami – This test wasn’t conducted once. It was initially up against the Indiana Pacers’ fast-paced style. Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers guard, scored 28 points in the first half of the game. It was Bam Adebayo, who was not coming back, checking out regarding his recurrent hip problem in the second quarter.
Under pressure, the Miami Heat did what they seemed to do best. The Heat turned to Jimmy Butler for redemption, and he delivered it in the 142-132 victory on Thursday night at Kaseya Center, ending a three-game losing run and setting a season high for points scored.
spite of Adebayo’s absence, Butler led the Heat with 36 points, including 18 of 20 from the free throw line, as they won for the first time in a week. Butler’s ability to step up and take charge when necessary is “part of his genius,” according to coach Erik Spoelstra.
“Whatever the game calls for,” Following in the footsteps of their leader, the Heat also received 24 points from Josh Richardson, 19 from youngster Jaime Jaquez Jr., 16 from Duncan Robinson, 15 from Kyle Lowry, and 14 from Caleb Martin.
With 10 assists and a career-high 44 points, Haliburton finished. As you saw see, they’re not an easy squad to defend, according to Spoelstra.
From the field, the Heat finished at.565 and the Pacers at.510. In reference to the fast-paced, high-scoring game, Butler stated, “It shows we’re capable of playing like that.” “But that’s not how we play basketball.” Five Hot Points from the game on Thursday night: 1. Closing time:
The Pacers jumped off to an early 15-4 lead and led 38-33 at the end of the first quarter. The Heat pulled within two points in the second quarter, but Indiana’s seventh 70-point half of the season saw them trail 73-64 at halftime. Early in the third quarter, Lowry and Haywood Highsmith were each called for their fourth fouls, adding to the complexity of the personnel math.
The third saw the Heat lose 10 points. However, Butler scored 16 points in the third quarter, and the Heat narrowed the gap to 100-97 entering the fourth. With 10:07 remaining, the Heat led 104-103. Butler departed the game with 7:52 remaining, putting the Heat up 110-107.
The margin subsequently grew to 116-107. Eventually, with 4:11 remaining, two free throws by Butler increased the Heat’s lead to 16. Butler stated, “It was good to build on the lead.” With 52.6 seconds remaining, a dunk by Haliburton pulled Indiana to within 134–128.
But even then, the game was far from finished. With 78 points in the second half, the Heat defeated the Pacers 45-32 in the fourth quarter. “There’s no better place to be when it’s rocking like that,” Jaquez remarked of the audience enjoying the fury of the scoring. 2. Concerning Butler: With Adebayo out, Butler’s 16-point third quarter, which included 8 of 10 free throws and 7 rebounds, helped the Heat stay in the game. Butler stated, “I was just trying to play basketball the right way, be aggressive.” At that point, the Heat’s offense was elementary: Deliver the ball to Butler and move aside.
With his 22nd point, Butler reached 14,000 for his career. His double-double with 10 rebounds tied him for 14th place on the Heat’s all-time list with Kevin Willis. “He simply sensed it and used all those assaults to calm everyone down.”
The entire group was motivated by that, said Spoelstra. “Even those rebounds he was getting in traffic, that third quarter was really inspiring.” — 3. Mostly intact: Butler returned following two games missed due to an ankle strain, while Highsmith returned following his absence from Tuesday night’s Milwaukee Bucks game due to a back bruise he suffered on Saturday night when playing on the road against the Brooklyn Nets. With that, Butler, Highsmith, Adebayo, Robinson, and Lowry were once again in the starting lineup for the Heat.
Tyler Herro, who has been recovering from an ankle sprain for three weeks, is still sidelined and his rehabilitation timeline is unknown.
Nikola Jovic, a 2022 first-round selection, was the only active Heat player. 4. And then not: After Kevin Love struggled with the game’s tempo during his first quarter, Adebayo left the court halfway through the second quarter, aggravating his hip bruise.
The Heat then switched to Orlando Robinson at center. Adebayo’s hip bruise had kept him out of the previous two games, but he bounced back with 31 points in the Bucks game on Tuesday night. Adebayo stated in the injury report prior to Thursday night’s game that he used a protective pad on his hip during that game. In 12:28, he finished with seven points and four rebounds.
That put an end to his 20-point game streak, which was a career high. “He arrived during the final four minutes of the second quarter and was merely receiving some medical attention at the intermission with the plan to return,” Spoelstra stated.
“And I really told him you’re in labor when we spoke in my office.” At that point, Spoelstra informed Adebayo, “I’m taking this decision out of your hands,” and the staff opted not to press the issue. Spoelstra played down worries. Regarding the hip bruising, he stated, “It’s the same deal.” “So, it’s not a major issue.” In the end, Love, Robinson, Highsmith, Martin, and Thomas Bryant were the Heat’s center players. — 5.
And once more: The Heat will play the Pacers in their next game on Saturday, making it the second of six times the team will play the same opponent back-to-back. This same matchup between the Heat and Chicago a week earlier ended in a draw.
The Heat will face the same opponent in back-to-back home games a total of three times (with another such set against the Bulls the following week). They will also repeat the feat on the road (in Detroit, in March), and they will play a split series, playing in Charlotte in two weeks and hosting the Hornets at Kaseya Center two nights later.
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