Miami Heat found a way to grind out a hard fought victory against Indiana Pacers on Tuesday evening, taking a 1-0 lead in their NBA Playoffs series playing in the bubble.
Despite trailing by 5pts after the 1st quarter and levelling in the 2nd quarter to take a 5pt lead into the break, it was the Heat’s good display in the 4th quarter, that really helped them overcome a Pacers side that refused to give in easily.
The former NBA Champions showed why they are the favourites in this tie, seeing off Game 1 with a 113-101 to take the initiative going into game 2.
He might not have led his team’s scoring, trailing behind teammates Jimmy Butler (28pts) & Goran Dragic (24pts), but Bam Adebayo finished with a double-double to cap what was an all-round impressive display.
Adebayo made 17pts in the game (his team’s 3rd highest) adding 10reb (game’s highest) and 6ast (2nd game’s highest) for Miami. Adebayo was at the defensive side of things, making three vital blocks in the game. No other player, made more blocks than Adebayo.
While the Heat maximized having Adebayo on the court, that was not the case for Pacers who missed one of their key players, Victor Oladipo who had to withdraw from the game because of an injury.
Oladipo only played for 8mins: 34s, making 4pts and a steal in the game, and then discontinued after getting poked in his left eye. The Pacers really missed having him on the court, and he could have made a whole lot of difference for them.
Heat remain the favourites to emerge from this playoff, however if Pacers can get Oladipo back in time before their next game, they will really give Miami a really good run in the remaining games of the series.
