Bam Adebayo won a head-to-head duel with Domantas Sabonis, the depleted Miami bench got a combined 34 points from Kevin Love and Haywood Highsmith, and the undermanned Heat held off the host Sacramento Kings 121-110 on Monday night.
Playing without star sidekick Jimmy Butler, Adebayo had 28 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to lead the Heat, who won their fourth in a row.
Butler and Nikola Jovic were ineligible to play against the Kings as they served each a one-game suspension for their participation in a fight during Miami’s win at New Orleans on Friday. Thomas Bryant began a three-game suspension in Sacramento.
The Heat also were without Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier, both out with knee injuries.
Missing five players didn’t keep the Heat from getting better bench play than the Kings, with Love aiding the cause with 19 points and Highsmith 15. Both shot 6-for-9.
No Kings backup scored more than eight points on the second night of a back-to-back.
Sabonis finished with a game-high 14 rebounds and 10 assists but had just 14 points as the Kings were held to 110 or fewer points for only the 15th time this season.
Down by as many as 10 points in the first half, the Heat finished the second quarter on a 20-7 run to go up three, then sprinted away to lead by as many as 20 in the second half.
Seeking a fourth straight win, the Kings made it a game late with a 22-5 flurry to close within 110-108 on a De’Aaron Fox hoop with 3:41 to play.
But Jaime Jaquez Jr. stopped the bleeding with consecutive baskets and the hosts never got closer than four the rest of the way.
Jaquez finished with 26 points for Miami, while Caleb Martin had 16 and Delon Wright 13. Duncan Robinson chipped in with a game-high 11 assists.
The triple-double was Sabonis’ third straight and 21st this season.
Keegan Murray paced the Kings with a game-high-tying 28 points, while Fox had 27 to go with eight rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Kevin Huerter added 14 points and Harrison Barnes 10 for the Kings, who were swept by the Heat in the two-game season series.
–Field Level Media
