SHOP
Thanks to a balanced scoring attack and timely defense, the HEAT erased an early 19-point deficit and got back on track in a 113-107 victory over the Pistons Monday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Let’s find out how they got the job done.
1. Bam Seals It
With Detroit threatening to regain the lead down the stretch, Bam Adebayo did all he could to make sure that did not happen.
How so?
Well, for starters, he came through with this remarkable block on Jerami Grant:
And on the flip side of the ball, he led all players with 13 points in the fourth, including three silky-smooth jumpers.
Pure.
When it was all said and done, Adebayo amassed a game and season-high 28 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field and 10-of-11 from the stripe, a game-high 11 rebounds, a team-high five assists, a game-high two steals (tied with seven other players), that block above and a plus-five rating.
Whew.
2. Goran Continues To Cook
In his first start of the season, Goran Dragić kicked off the game with his 4,000th-career assist and never looked back.
Of course, he did more than just set up his teammates, as he led all scorers with 14 points in the first half and did his thing in transition.
As the night progressed, the Dragon hit some tough mid-range jumpers, including a clutch bank shot to put Miami up five with 45.7 seconds left.
That’s Goran for ya.
Dragić finished with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting, three boards, three assists and a block.
3. Nunn Provides A Spark
After the Pistons took a double-digit lead in the opening period, Kendrick Nunn helped the HEAT close the gap with some important buckets in the second quarter.
And much like last season, Nunn made good decisions in the pick-and-roll and looked calm, cool and collected.
Take this play in the fourth as a perfect example:
In all, Nunn accumulated 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 2-of-4 from deep, five rebounds, three assists, a game-high two steals (tied with seven other players), one block and a team-high plus-17 rating.
Other Takeaways:
-From start to finish, Duncan Robinson moved extremely well off the ball and continued to show great chemistry with Adebayo.
That said, perhaps his most impressive sequence of the night came off the two-man game with Kelly Olynyk.
Oh yeah, Robinson also made some nice plays off the dribble before concluding with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting (all from three), three rebounds, three assists and a plus-eight rating.
-Although Moe Harkless’ numbers on the box score look pedestrian, his impact was anything but that.
In fact, the wily vet started the second half and hounded Grant after the break.
Just take a look at this key steal with Detroit potentially being able to tie the game late in the fourth:
Big time.
Harkless ended up with three points on 1-of-2 shooting, three assists, two rebounds, a game-high two steals (tied with seven other players), one block and a plus-11 rating.
Game Notes:
-Miami shot a season-high 57.3 percent from the field.
-Avery Bradley and Jimmy Butler were both inactive due to health and safety protocols.
-Tyler Herro (neck spasms) and Meyers Leonard (left shoulder strain) were active scratches.
Looking Ahead:
-The HEAT will head out on a four-game road trip, starting in Tampa against the Raptors on Wednesday at 7:30PM. You can catch all the action on FOX Sports Sun and 790 The Ticket.