Miami star Jimmy Butler could rejoin the lineup when the Heat conclude a six-game road trip against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
Butler has missed three straight games with a sprained right ankle, but the six-time All-Star is traveling with the team and worked out on the court prior to Friday’s 124-111 win over the Pacers.
Bam Adebayo led the way with 30 points and 11 rebounds and Tyler Herro added 20 points for Miami, which bounced back from a two-point overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday.
The Heat eliminated any potential for last-minute drama on Friday by opening the second half with a 28-12 run to extending its lead to 22 in the third quarter.
Miami shot 51.7 percent (45 of 87) from the field and 35.7 percent (15 of 42) from 3-point range.
“You just try to stack as many good days, build your habits, build the process and we had a very good 24 hours,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It led to a win and now we have to go back to our caves, rest up and get ready for another great game on Sunday.”
Indiana has lost two straight and will need an improved defensive performance to earn a split of the weekend set.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle benched all five of his starters during Friday’s dismal third quarter.
“I thought we were doing a lot of dumb (expletive) on both ends of the ball,” Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton said. “Defensive lapses, bad shots, bad turnovers. We started playing the game the right way early. The ball was moving, hopping. Then we had some dumb turnovers and bad shots. We let that dictate our defense a little bit. We didn’t get enough shots. That’s a bad combo.”
Obi Toppin scored a team-high 21 points off the bench while Haliburton added 18 points and eight assists. The Pacers shot 51.2 percent (44 of 86) from the field and 40 percent (14 of 35) from 3-point range, but the defensive effort left Carlisle steaming.
“Ugly game,” he said. “A lot of ugly stretches. Pretty clear that I didn’t have these guys ready to play. Put the responsibility on me. I’ve got to do a better job of getting these guys prepared. It was embarrassing. There were two stretches where our fans booed, and rightly so. I was ashamed to hear that, but they were right.”
One of the most surprising aspects of Friday’s game was the performance by Heat forward Kevin Love, who scored all 15 of his points in the third on 6-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.
The 36-year-old Love added seven rebounds, four steals and two assists in just 12 minutes. Love has started the last three games but could move back to a reserve role when Butler returns.
“I just really appreciate Kevin,” Spoelstra said. “I appreciate that he’s able to morph into different roles. Guys like him have that cachet that on any given night they can be that for short bursts. What he did in basically 12 minutes and change is pretty amazing. But it’s because he’s about the right things.”
–Field Level Media
