The Miami Heat battled back from third-quarter woes, fueled by Bam Adebayo's heroics and clutch threes, to secure a vital victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Miami, FL - The Miami Heat were coming off a disastrous four-game road trip, which resulted in three losses and one cancellation due to indoor weather. As the team returned home and began a three-game homestand, starting with the Phoenix Suns, there was a sense of urgency to get back in the win column.
After missing Sunday night's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Norman Powell was cleared from lower back soreness to return. The rest of the roster was fully healthy, which is a rare occurrence. Meanwhile, the Suns were only without Jalen Green, who's missed the last 29 games due to a right hamstring strain.
The starting lineups:
Heat: Davion Mitchell-Tyler Herro-Norman Powell-Andrew Wiggins-Bam Adebayo
Suns: Collin Gillespie-Devin Booker-Dillon Brooks-Royce O'Neale-Mark Williams
It was time for tipoff and Bam Adebayo was quick to find a rhythm offensively, scoring the first five points for the Heat, including a three-pointer from the top of the key. The three-time All-Star has gone through a shooting slump, looking to break through.
The rest of the first quarter remained close as Suns' forward Grayson Allen scored 11 points, including three three-pointers made. The score was 36-28.
The Heat immediately took control of the game at the start of the second quarter, sparking a massive 18-6 run, with key contributions from multiple players. They kept attacking the paint and scored at will. After the run, the Suns knocked down a few shots, but nothing significant changed the landscape of the game. The score was 71-54 heading into halftime.
Adebayo led the Heat with 16 first-half points, with Tyler Herro and Norman Powell both having 14 individually. The offense appeared to be clicking from all cylinders once again.
However, in today's league, a double-digit lead can evaporate in the blink of an eye, which is what happened as the third quarter started. The Suns sparked a 25-8 run, hitting three three-pointers throughout that span. The Heat's struggles as of late have come in the third-quarter, which crept up once again, shooting 36.4 percent throughout those 12 minutes.
The score was tied at 92 heading into the fourth quarter.
The game started to get intense after Devin Booker shoved Pelle Larsson, to which Jaime Jaquez Jr. confronted the four-time All-Star. Then, with multiple back-and-forth sequences, Adebayo was the one to seal the victory for the Heat, following a steal and a dunk, and a few key three-pointers.
The final score was 127-121, snapping the three-game losing streak. The Heat improved its record to 21-19.
Adebayo, Powell, and Herro each scored at least 20 points, combined for 79, which last occurred on Dec. 1st, 2025, against the Los Angeles Clippers.
"Now, we have positive teaching points from this," Erik Spoelstra said postgame on Tuesday. "We're going to overcome the third quarter. We've had so many incredible first halves, even in the games that we've lost. If we could get some of these games, even if we play poorly in the third, just get to the fourth. We have great competitors in our locker room. They love these kinds of moments, when it's electric in there and you have to make big plays. We'll have a much better shot of putting ourselves in a position to move up [the Eastern Conference standings] playing a certain style."
The Heat will face the Boston Celtics on Thursday.
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