Miami split season series against Warriors with 116-109 victory

Nov 2

The Heat handed the Warriors their third straight loss, avenging their loss from last week in San Francisco. Back in FTX Arena, Max Strus led the way with his 24 points off the bench while the starters finally clicked on offense. Except for Herro, key starters in Butler, Adebayo, and Lowry all finished in double figures on the night.

The bench was a key part of this win as well. With a 54-37 point split, the bench scored almost half of the Heat’s offense. Duncan Robinson came to life, adding 17 points and going 5-for-8 on the night from three.

What sealed the game was the fourth quarter, the Heat’s defense slowed down the game, and the Warriors went scoreless in the final two minutes at the end of a game-low 15-point quarter. Butler made plays all night, especially in crunch time, finishing the game with a 23/6/8 line. Although he wasn’t the most efficient, as he finished for a less-than-desired 35 percent from the field, he got to the line for nine free throws and scored points when they mattered.

Adebayo had his best game yet, stuffing the stat sheet and filling every statistical category with 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists, three steals, and even managed to get a block. After a disappointing start to the season, Adebayo has gone ahead and showed out in this rematch.