Dragic, Adebayo power Heat past Pacers for series sweep
The last time the Miami Heat won a playoff series, Dwyane Wade was seizing the moment in the first round in 2016 against the Charlotte Hornets.
The last time the Heat swept a postseason round, LeBron James fueled the effort in 2014 against the Charlotte Bobcats.
Monday night at Disney’s Wide World of Sports, the Heat’s next wave made their own statement, pushing past the Indiana Pacers 99-87 to close out a 4-0 sweep with a trademark ensemble effort.
“We pushed through, got this W, now we get the rest,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said.
Next up are the Eastern Conference semifinals, against the winner of the best-of-seven series the Milwaukee Bucks lead 3-1 against the Orlando Magic. A victory in that series would give Erik Spoelstra’s team its deepest playoff run since the 2014 NBA Finals.
With Jimmy Butler forced to sit out most of the first half with a shoulder injury, the Heat injected Kendrick Nunn into their playoff mix, got solid bench contributions, and guaranteed themselves at least a three-day break in the NBA’s Disney quarantine bubble.
“He was out there with one shoulder,” Adebayo said of Butler.
Up 91-81 with 3:44 to play, the Heat saw all of that lead reduced to six before getting three offensive rebounds and then a Tyler Herro basket to help put it away.
Adebayo powered the Heat with 14 points and 19 rebounds, with Goran Dragic pacing the offense with 23 points, supported by 16 from Herro, 11 from Kelly Olynyk and 10 from Jae Crowder. Butler closed with 2 of 5 from the field for six points in 23 minutes, Nunn with seven points in 14 minutes.
From the Pacers there was a 22-point, 14-rebound effort from center Myles Turner, 25 points from guard Victor Oladipo and 21 from forward T.J. Warren.
Five degrees of Heat from Monday night’s game:
1. Down, not out: The Heat lost Butler for the balance of the first half after his initial stint, when he went out with 6:06 to play in the first quarter, with what the Heat listed as a strained left shoulder.
Butler, who had taken pregame treatment on the shoulder, was 0 for 2 from the field and scoreless went he went out, with two assists and one rebound. That had Andre Iguodala entering as the Heat’s first substitute.
Butler returned to start the second half, with his first points coming on a layup with 9:09 left in the third period.
Butler missed four seeding games at Disney with what the Heat listed as a sore right foot. He previously missed two games in February, with a strained right shoulder, with the Heat losing both.
With Butler out, the Heat closed the first half 1 of 2 from the foul line. Butler shot 17 of 20 from the line in the Heat’s Game 3 victory Saturday. 2. Nunn enters: With Butler sidelined for the first half, Nunn made his NBA playoff debut when he entered with 7:35 left in the second quarter. Nunn then made his first playoff shot, a 3-pointer, with 6:50 left in the first half.
Interestingly, TNT reported pregame that the Heat did not previously believe Nunn to be in game shape.
Nunn was late to Disney due to a positive COVID-19 test, then had to briefly leave the Disney bubble for a personal matter.
Nunn is one of three finalists for Rookie of the Year, along with Memphis’ Ja Morant and New Orleans’ Zion Williamson.
3. Bam can: Adebayo took an aggressive stance even before Butler went out, closing the first half with eight points and nine rebounds and reaching a double-double early in the third period.
Adebayo entered as one of only six players this postseason averaging at least 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists, with Luka Doncic, Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James and Nikola Jokic the others.
4. Correctly challenged: Spoelstra had a moment of his own late in the third period, challenging a Tyler Herro foul on a T.J. Warren 3-point attempt.
Correctly noting Warren had kicked out his leg, Spoelstra not only cancelled out what would have been three Warren free throws, but the Heat then got a basket from
Dragic to close the third with a
70-62 lead.
In the fourth quarter, Pacers coach Nate McMillan challenged a goaltend against his team, with that challenge lost.
5. From the heart: Spoelstra opened his pregame comments with, “I do want to send our prayers and thoughts to Jacob Blake and his family. And we are praying that he recovers. And, just as importantly, that this type of unnecessary shooting can stop, and hopefully there’s some justice to this.
“So this is something that was on our minds this morning, before our walkthrough. It’ll continue to be on our minds.
“And it’s something that we hope changes once and for all.”