The Miami Heat finally got their first home win of the season Friday night, rolling past the Indiana Pacers 145-125 at the Kaseya Center and snapping their 0-3 start on their own floor.
Miami wasted little time turning the game in its favor once the shots started falling. The Heat had been behind early, with the Pacers connecting on 11-of-20 from deep in the first half while Miami managed just five-of-17.
But the home team answered with a 22-7 surge, a stretch that included 16 straight points, and from there the offense kept humming. Miami finished by outscoring Indiana 76-64.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was the engine again, posting his second triple-double of the season in just six games. He had 17 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and a steal before halftime, then kept rolling into the final stretch.
After 31 minutes, the 10-time All-Star finished with 31 points on 72.2 percent shooting, 17 rebounds, 10 assists and a block. By the fourth quarter, the crowd was chanting âMVPâ for him.
Klay Thompson gave Miami the kind of perimeter burst it had been waiting for. Entering the night shooting 32.4 percent from three, he found his rhythm immediately and ended with 25 points on 64.3 percent shooting. Thompson knocked down seven threes, both season highs, and gave the Heat a needed floor-spacer performance.
Bam Adebayo kept the pressure on after his record-breaking night Wednesday, adding 27 points on 78.6 percent shooting with nine rebounds, three assists and three steals. Around those two, Miami got solid production across the board, with Davion Mitchell scoring 15, Andrew Wiggins 12, Pelle Larsson 18 and Bobby Portis Jr. eight for a combined 53 points.
Nikola Jovic also made his minutes count even without scoring. The 23-year-old was active on the glass and finished with five rebounds, three assists and a steal, the kind of effort that can help him earn more trust from head coach Erik Spoelstra.
The win pushes Miami to 2-4 as it heads into a five-game Western Conference road trip, a stretch that includes a back-to-back. The next stop comes Nov. 10 at the Utah Jazz.
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