The Miami Heat didn’t just beat the Indiana Pacers on Friday night - they kept hammering the same weak spot until the game cracked open.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo powered Miami’s 145-125 win at Kaseya Center, combining for 58 points on 24-of-33 shooting. The Heat lived in the paint, piled up 64 points there on 32-of-44 shooting, and then cashed in from deep once Indiana started collapsing.
That’s exactly what Pacers lead assistant Lloyd Pierce pointed to afterward. He said Miami can punish any defense that doesn’t bring “a tight, tight paint defense.”
“That’s going to be the strength of their team, and that’s going to be the challenge we have playing them,” Pierce said. “If you try and put any of your defenders on an island one-on-one, obviously they shot it well, they scored it well, and you're going to feel that.”
Pierce said Indiana tried to mix things up with zone looks and double teams, but Miami still found the release valve.
“And you're trying to disrupt it a little bit,” Pierce added. “We went zone a couple times, and then we doubled a couple times, and I don't think he felt the double team, and that's how some of the spray-out threes happened. So perfect night for them, for Klay to get going, and for Davion to hit a couple threes, and their bigs to put a lot of pressure on you in the individual matchups.”
The numbers backed up the story. Miami made 18 3-pointers, and 13 of them came after halftime. The Heat were only 5-of-17 from beyond the arc in the first half, then flipped the switch and went 13-of-23 after the break.
Adebayo set the tone early, scoring 11 of his 27 points in the first quarter while going 5-of-6. Antetokounmpo was just as relentless, putting up 17 points and 10 rebounds by halftime on 7-of-8 shooting before adding 14 points and seven assists after the break. He also grabbed six offensive rebounds as part of an 18-rebound night.
Pierce said the game starts to tilt when Miami gets inside because Indiana ends up “having to chase and chase” and then take the ball out. Over the final two quarters, the Heat scored 28 points in the paint and 39 points on 3-pointers.
Klay Thompson did most of his damage from long range, scoring all 15 of his third-quarter points on 3-pointers. Davion Mitchell assisted on two of those makes. Thompson finished with 25 points and sat out the fourth quarter.
Mitchell added 15 points and 11 assists, and he knocked down two of his three 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter.
Indiana had its own success from deep before the break, hitting 11 of 20 3-pointers in the first half, but the Pacers cooled off after halftime and finished 6-for-17 the rest of the way.
With Ivica Zubac out because of a left ankle sprain, Pierce started Jay Huff at center. Huff responded by making his first four shots and finishing with 13 points.
Pierce said Miami’s work on the glass and in the lane was the biggest separator, especially in the second quarter when the Heat outscored Indiana 16-4 in the paint.
“That was the biggest difference,” Pierce said, pointing to defensive rebounding and keeping the Heat “out of the paint.”
Miami finished with a 48-37 rebounding edge and won the second-chance points battle 16-13. Kelly Oubre Jr. collected four of Indiana’s 14 offensive rebounds, while Adebayo grabbed four for Miami, which finished with 15 offensive boards.
Pascal Siakam had five rebounds, and Jarace Walker and Kobe Brown each finished with six. Indiana scored 50 points in the paint, and Larry Nance Jr. recorded the team’s only blocked shot.
The Heat also moved the ball cleanly, assisting on 38 of their 54 field goals. Their 16 turnovers still turned into 26 Indiana points, but Miami had already done enough damage inside and out. The Heat made 19 of 23 free throws, while Indiana went 20 of 27.
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