Bam Adebayo had the most points, rebounds, and assists in the game, finishing with 25 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists, as the Miami Heat beat the Phoenix Suns 121-111 on Saturday night.
Adebayo scored 12 of his points in the third quarter, helping Miami take the lead, which they kept for the rest of the game.
Jimmy Butler contributed 24 points, including nine consecutive points for Miami in the last five minutes of the game.
Miami also got 19 points from Duncan Robinson and 17 points from Tyler Herro.
The Suns were missing two key players: Kevin Durant, who was out with a sprained left ankle, and center Jusuf Nurkic, who had a right thigh contusion.
Royce O’Neale led the Suns with a season-high 23 points. Devin Booker scored 21 points on 6-for-16 shooting, and Bradley Beal finished with 15 points on 5-for-18 shooting.
The Suns led 29-26 at the end of the first quarter and extended their lead to 58-53 at halftime, mainly due to a 13-0 edge in second-chance points. Phoenix also had a 24-12 advantage in bench points.
Miami kept the game close by winning the battle for paint points, 28-12. Robinson led all scorers in the first half with 14 points, and O’Neale led Phoenix with 13 points.
The biggest surprise was that Phoenix was ahead, even though Booker and Beal only combined for seven points in the first half on 4-for-16 shooting.
In the third quarter, Miami started with a 19-4 run and finished the quarter with a 87-82 lead.
With 4:35 left in the fourth quarter, the Suns cut Miami’s lead to 103-100 after Grayson Allen hit a three-pointer. However, that was as close as Phoenix got for the rest of the game.
Miami shot 52.3 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from three-point range, making 13 out of 32 attempts. The Heat also had a 62-32 advantage in paint points and a 20-11 lead in fast-break points.
Next, the Heat will host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night. The Cavaliers, who have won four straight games, currently have the best record in the NBA at 21-3.
The Suns, who have lost five straight road games, will play against Orlando on Sunday.
