MIAMI — Observations and other notes of interest from Saturday night’s 142-116 victory over the Indiana Pacers:

– So perhaps this is why.

– Asked Friday in Atlanta about whether the back issue that now has had Bam Adebayo out for consecutive games could have been contributing to Adebayo’s recent slide, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he wouldn’t feel comfortable speaking for his team captain.

– Before Saturday night’s game against the Pacers, Spoelstra somewhat reversed course.

– Spoelstra acknowledged pregame the time off was needed for Adebayo due to the discomfort.

– “He flew to Atlanta with us, with that kind of intention,” Spoelstra said of Adebayo sitting out Friday night’s victory over the Hawks. “But he clearly was not moving well enough to compete in that kind of game.”

– Spoelstra added, “But he’s definitely making progress. He really needed this time just to get . . . he was dealing with some deals because of overcompensation. I think he’s feeling a lot better each day.”

– As for guard Tyler Herro missing a ninth game with a toe contusion, Spoelstra said, “He’s definitely making progress. I don’t have a timeline for you. But I’m encouraged by what I’m seeing.”

– Spoelstra added, “The same goes with Bam.”

– After the game, Adebayo said, yes, the back had impacted his play.

– “I mean, for a while now,” he said. “It finally got to the point where I had to sit down.”

– So, Pelle Larsson as a starter again.

– “He doesn’t really need to score to be the glue in whatever lineup he plays in,” Spoelstra said of the second-year guard. “It’s those intangibles, winning intangibles, that probably don’t get celebrated enough.”

– This time he had 16 points and seven assists.

– Without Adebayo and Herro, a team can compete with the likes of the Hawks and Pacers.

– But to follow are the Nuggets, Pistons and Timberwolves.

– That will require more than the rough patches the Heat persevered through these past two nights.

– With Adebayo and Herro again out, the Heat opened for the second consecutive night with Larsson, Kel’el Ware, Andrew Wiggins, Norman Powell and Davion Mitchell.

– The Heat are now 6-2 with that starting lineup.

– Ware surfaced on the pregame injury report with quadriceps contusion, but was cleared two hours before tipoff.

– Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakucionis entered first off the Heat bench.

– Their energy impressive on the second night of the back-to-back set.

– Dru Smith followed, recording his 50th steal of the season in the second quarter.

– With Nikola Jovic again in the rotation.

– And again having his moments.

– That for the second consecutive night had Simone Fontecchio out of the mix.

– Jaquez said even with Adebayo and Herro out, this is not a time for excuses.

– “I mean, obviously we got two of our big guns out, and it’s a moment for everybody to step up,” Jaquez said. “We always talk about no one’s going to come save us. We got to do it ourselves.”

–The Heat certainly do not stand as strangers to shorthanded this season.

– “Like Spo said, sometimes you’ve got to have a chip on your shoulder and show what you can do and show that you can win,” Jovic said.

– Powell extended his streak of games scoring in double figures to 30, six off the longest such run of his career.