The Miami Heat dethroned the Indiana Pacers to open the NBA Cup play with a 145-125 victory on Friday night.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Heat with 31 points and had his second triple-double of the season. Bam Adebayo added 27 points, while Klay Thompson had his best game with 25 points and seven triples.
Thompson is now within 55 of matching former Heat guard Ray Allen (2,973) for third-most threes in NBA history.
On the other hand, Quenton Jackson led the Pacers with 24 points, Andrew Nembhard 22, Jarace Walker 14, and 13 points each for Pascal Siakam and Jay Huff.
The Pacers scored 42 points in the first, then had 46 in the next two combined. Pelle Larsson scored 18, and Davion Mitchell had a 15-point and 11-assist game for Miami.
Meanwhile, Indiana was shorthanded with only 11 players available as Tyrese Haliburton is sidelined for at least a couple of weeks and possibly longer with a hamstring strain. Obi Toppin when his back went out before shootaround Friday morning.
Indiana’s loss means they will have a tough time getting out of group play in the NBA Cup event. Teams play four group-stage games; every team that reached the knockout round has gone either 4-0 or 3-1 in the opening round.
Up next: the Pacers host the Nets on Sunday, while the Heat visit Los Angeles on Monday.
