Bam Adebayo had game highs with 25 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists as the host Miami Heat defeated the Phoenix Suns 121-111 on Saturday night.
Adebayo had 12 of his points in the third quarter, when Miami surged ahead for a lead it never relinquished.
Jimmy Butler had 24 points, including nine straight Heat points in the final five minutes of the game.
Miami also got 19 points from Duncan Robinson and 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists from Tyler Herro.
The Suns were without two starters: Kevin Durant (sprained left ankle) and center Jusuf Nurkic (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. Bradley Beal had 15 points on 5-for-18 shooting.
The Suns led 29-26 at the end of the first quarter, and they extended their advantage to 58-53 at halftime thanks to a 13-0 edge on second-chance points. Phoenix also had a 24-12 advantage on bench points.
Miami stayed close by winning the battle for paint points, 28-12. Robinson led all first-half scorers with 14 points, and O’Neale topped Phoenix with 13 points.
The biggest surprise was that Phoenix led despite getting just seven points from Booker and six from Beal as the two Suns stars combined to shoot 4-for-16.
However, Miami surged ahead by starting the third quarter on a 19-4 run. By the end of the third, Miami led 87-82.
With 4:35 left in the fourth, the Suns cut their deficit to 103-100 on a 3-pointer by Grayson Allen. But that’s as close as Phoenix got the rest of the way.
For the game, Miami shot 52.3 percent from the floor and 40.6 percent on 3-pointers (13-for-32). The Heat also had a 62-32 advantage on paint points and a 20-11 edge on fast-break points.
Up next, the Heat will host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night. The Cavaliers, who have won four straight games, have the best record in the NBA (21-3).
The Suns, who have lost five straight road games, will play at Orlando on Sunday.
–Field Level Media
