Heat Beat Short-Handed Pacers 145-125 as Giannis Posts Triple-Double and Klay Thompson Hits 7 Threes

The Miami Heat spotted the Indiana Pacers a 42-point first quarter, then took over. Giannis Antetokounmpo posted his second triple-double of the season, Bam Adebayo scored a season-high 27 and Klay Thompson finally found his shot as Miami won 145-125 on Friday night at Kaseya Center to open NBA Cup group play.

It was Miami’s second straight win after an 0-4 start, moving the Heat to 2-4. Indiana played with only 11 available players, the Associated Press reported.

Pacers vs. Heat: final score and how it turned

Final: Heat 145, Pacers 125. By quarter, per the AP box score: Indiana 42-19-27-37, Miami 36-32-35-42.

• Indiana’s hot start. The Pacers shot 60% in the first quarter and went 6 of 12 from 3-point range, the Miami Herald reported. Miami committed seven turnovers in the period and trailed by eight with 7:21 left in the second quarter.
• Miami’s answer. The Heat closed the first half on a 22-7 run to lead by seven at the break, then opened the second half on a 30-14 run, according to the Herald. Miami outscored Indiana 67-46 across the middle two quarters, the AP said.
• No comeback. The lead reached 25 in the fourth quarter.

“We had a really poor start defensively, gave up a massive first quarter, and then settled into the game much better the second quarter,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, per the Herald.

Klay Thompson’s best night in Miami

Thompson came in averaging 7.8 points and shooting 32.4% from deep through five games, the Herald reported. On Friday he scored a season-high 25 points in 26 minutes and made 7 of 12 3-pointers, including five in the third quarter, when he scored 15.

The AP called it his best game since joining Miami and noted he is now within 55 3-pointers of Ray Allen (2,973) for third on the NBA’s all-time list.

“When he gets on a roll like that, he is really tough to stop,” Spoelstra said. “We’ve all seen it or been on the other end of it, but it was fun seeing it tonight in a Miami Heat jersey.”

Pacers vs. Miami Heat player stats

Heat leaders

• Giannis Antetokounmpo: 31 points on 13-of-18 shooting, 10 assists and a block. The Herald and Sports Illustrated listed 18 rebounds; the AP recap and box score listed 17. The Herald said it was the 58th regular-season triple-double of his career.
• Bam Adebayo: 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting, nine rebounds, three assists, three steals
• Klay Thompson: 25 points, 7 of 12 from 3
• Pelle Larsson: 18 points on 5-of-5 shooting off the bench
• Davion Mitchell: 15 points, 11 assists, six rebounds
• Andrew Wiggins: 12 points

As a team, Miami shot 59.3% and set season highs with 145 points and 38 assists, per the Herald. The 145 points are the eighth most in a regular-season game in franchise history.

Pacers leaders

• Quenton Jackson: 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting
• Andrew Nembhard: 22 points, 5 of 8 from 3, nine assists
• Jarace Walker: 14 points
• Pascal Siakam: 13 points on 5-of-17 shooting
• Jay Huff: 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 3 of 4 from 3

Who was missing for Indiana?

The Herald listed Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring), T.J. McConnell (hamstring), Obi Toppin (back soreness) and Ivica Zubac (ankle) as out. Acting coach Lloyd Pierce said Haliburton is sidelined for at least a couple of weeks and possibly longer with a hamstring strain, and that Toppin’s back went out before shootaround Friday morning, the AP reported.

Pierce filled in for Rick Carlisle, who was attending his father’s funeral in Ogdensburg, New York, according to the AP.

What it means for the NBA Cup

Miami is 1-0 in a group with the Pacers, Knicks, 76ers and Cavaliers, per the Herald. The AP noted that every team to reach the Cup knockout round so far has gone 4-0 or 3-1 in group play, which makes an opening loss costly for Indiana.

What’s next

• Pacers: host the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.
• Heat: start a five-game West Coast trip Monday against the Los Angeles Lakers.

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