The Miami Heat came into Saturday’s game with a chance to go up 3-0 on Indiana. Sure to be tough, could they end Saturday one game off a sweep?
The Miami Heat came into Saturday’s contest with a prime opportunity before them. With the chance to run their series lead up to 3-0 over the Indiana Pacers, they had to be licking their chops before the matchup.
It showed early and often too, with the Miami Heat jumping out big on the Pacers. It continued for much of the first half and up until a point where the Miami Heat eventually saw themselves up as many as around 20 points.
Then, it happened. As it most often does, the third quarter saw the Miami Heat play some of their least appealing basketball of the evening.
By one point in the fourth quarter with the game coming down to it’s most crucial moments, the Miami Heat saw their lead reduced to a single-digit lead. Then it was seven points.
By the time that the clock had around two minutes left, the Indiana Pacers had managed to trim what was once a hefty double-digit lead down to just two points. Being that the Miami Heat had already allowed them to come back, it was now time to dig in and outwork them in the final minutes.
The Miami Heat had the opportunity to go up 3-0 in their series against Indiana on Saturday. Could they do it?
That’s just what the Miami Heat did, fueled behind a few passionate Jimmy Butler plays, of course, along with a few huge rebounds by Bam Adebayo. The Miami Heat really seemed to want this one more when it all came down to it, regardless of the fact that they gave up such a huge lead.
The usual suspects played well in this one, being led by Jimmy Butler with 24 points, then Goran Dragic with 24, and Bam as the third leading scorer with 22 points of his own. Tyler Herro also threw in 20, while Duncan Robinson pitched in 15 points as well.
T.J. Warren finished with 23 points, on 8-18 shooting from the field and 0-3 from distance. He also had a crucial turnover on a final second play where the Pacers had the ball and a chance to make it a game again in the end.
He hasn’t really played well this series, at least not to the standard he had previously set for himself in the bubble. He scored a little on Saturday, but he didn’t particularly play well then either.
The Miami Heat have put themselves in prime position to come out on Monday and sweep the Pacers. We look forward to seeing if they can get the job done.