Heat show ‘formula’ for success in big win over Pacers

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MIAMI – After the Miami Heat got a huge win against the Atlanta Hawks, the team had no time to rest, with the second game of the back-to-back had them facing the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night. With Heat stars Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro missing time still, the team kept the ship afloat with a victory that resembled how they played at the start of the season by beating the Pacers, 142-116.

Saturday marked the sixth time this season that Miami has scored at least 140 points in a game, as putting it into perspective, the franchise had only done so eight times heading into the current schedule. However, the margin came really in the fourth as the Heat and Indiana were in a tight battle for most of the game, despite the Pacers having the worst record in the league with them now at 6-26.

Still, Miami needed a decisive closeout at the end, which they did, led by key contributions from Andrew Wiggins and Jaime Jaquez Jr., each with 28 points and making their mark in other categories. Head coach Erik Spoelstra said to ClutchPoints after the game that there has been a “great spirit” in the last two games, resulting in clarity that has brought them back to their formula of success.

“Well, it was a great spirit, really, the last 48 hours, guys just getting lost into the team, into the game, into the process of what it was needed to win these games,” Spoelstra said. “And I think above anything else, there was just great clarity of mind. Nobody was getting in the way of each other…and we have a great locker room, it was just a great defensive spirit and a connected collective offense.”

“We know what the formula is, and we also know when we get away from that,” Spoelstra continued. “But it was great to see the back and forth, and the Pacers have been doing that pretty much all year. You can’t look at their record. That’s a prideful group, a very competitive group.”

Jaime Jaquez Jr. on what’s been working for the Heat the past two games Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

There were many unsung heroes for the Heat in the win over the lowly Pacers, as besides the usual suspects of Jaquez, Wiggins, Norman Powell, and Kel’el Ware, the team got crucial outings from Nikola Jovic, Dru Smith, and others. While the statsheet may say one thing about a certain player, the impact goes beyond numbers on a piece of paper, but it was the general understanding of Miami ofthateturning to what made them successful to start the season.

Starting 14-7, the Heat took the league by storm by sporting a free-flowing, fast-paced offensive system that was one of the leading NBA teams in points per game would take a turn though, as before Friday’s win over Atlanta, Miami had lost eight of its last nine games as other teams were adapting and the Heat were getting players in and out of the lineup with injuries.

However, if Saturday showed anything, it’s that the team could get back to what they’ve been working on since training camp, as Jaquez echoed the same sentiments. In the win against Indiana, Jaquez scored 28 points on 11 of 15 shooting from the field to go along with six rebounds, and three assists.

“A lot,” Jaquez said to ClutchPoints when asked what’s been working for the Heat the last two games. “Collectively, we’re really just buying into the principles that we’ve been working on since training camp. We kind of got away from it. And, you know, we realized that what works, works, and for us that’s cutting, being disruptive, reckless, playing fast. So we really just got back to what wins for us, and just embracing that identity and bringing that every single night.”

At any rate, Miami is now 17-15 and looks to keep stacking wins as one against a quality team in the 22-9 Denver Nuggets would do the trick in boosting confidence as the two teams face off on Monday.

Heat show ‘formula’ for success in big win over Pacers

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