(Photo Courtesy of the Miami Heat // Twitter)
No, what you saw in the first half wasn’t a dream. I can’t pinch you.
The Miami Heat broke their record for points in a single half on Friday night against the Memphis Grizzlies, scoring 86, four more than their previous total that has been set three times.
Bam Adebayo led the charge with 20 points, scoring 18 first-quarter points with four 3-pointers; Simone Fontecchio had 14 points on four made threes of his own in his lone eight-minute stint; Norman Powell added 12 points — including the pair of free throws to officially set the record — while Andrew Wiggins and Kel’el Ware had 10 points apiece.
Only one Grizzlies player — Ja Morant (12 points) — had double-figure scoring.
Miami could not miss, shooting 57.7 percent from the floor and 10-of-16 from 3-point range.
The last time the Heat had 82 points in a single half was against the New Orleans Pelicans on April 25. The Heat have scored 80-plus points four times since the start of the 2018-19 season.
If there’s anything to take away from the first six quarters, it’s that Miami is committed to pushing the pace. The spacing has looked excellent in transition, as has the ball movement and dribble penetration — both of which have led to wide open takes … and makes!
More of all this, please! Even though an unintended consequence — at moments — is poor defense, this is the most effective way for the Heat to win games.
Their execution is on another planet. The shooting won’t be sustainable, but the process is!
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