In order to avoid a third consecutive defeat in the bubble, Miami Heat went on the front foot in their game against Indiana Pacers, establishing a firm lead they held on to for the duration of their match.
Heat outscored Pacers in three of the four quarters, scoring 22pts more than their opponents in the whole game to run out comfortable winners in the match with a 114-92 victory.
Two defeats in their last two games meant Heat had an incentive to bounce back with a win, and they got an early boost when some of their key players like Jimmy Butler recovered in time to play some part in the game.
Victor Oladipo was the top performer for Pacers, top-scoring for his team with 14pts, then made 5 rebounds and an assist. It was Oladipo’s second consecutive double digits match, having made 22pts on Saturday that helped Pacers overcome LA Lakers.
Oladipo had a 60% 3pt conversion rate in the match, attempting 5 outside shots and making three of those attempts.
If Oladipo didn’t have much joy to savour from the game, that wasn’t the case for Bam Adebayo whose team were convincing winners on the night. Adebayo would be glad to see his team back with a win after losing to Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks.
Only Butler made more rebounds (11) than Adebayo (9) in the entire game, and the latter chipped in 10pts as well to sum up an impressive all-round display for the Heat.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s D’Tigers Point guard, Gabriel Nnamdi Vincent played for 3mins: 37s for Miami Heat, making 3pts in the short time he was on the court, having attempted two outside shots.
