Pacers Coach Pinpoints How Heat's Bigs Burned Indiana's Double Teams

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo combined for 58 points on 24-of-33 shooting Friday night, and the Miami Heat beat the Indiana Pacers 145-125 at Kaseya Center.

Miami scored 64 points in the paint on 32-of-44 shooting. The Heat also made 18 3-pointers, 13 of them after halftime.

Six of Antetokounmpo's 18 rebounds came on the offensive end. He had 17 points and 10 rebounds by halftime on 7-of-8 shooting, then added 14 points and seven assists after the break. Adebayo scored 11 of his 27 points in the first quarter, going 5-of-6.

Interior pressure was the separator for Pacers lead assistant Lloyd Pierce, who said Miami will push any defense that lacks "a tight, tight paint defense." By halftime, the Heat had already grabbed seven offensive rebounds and taken 15 free throws.

"That's going to be the strength of their team, and that's going to be the challenge we have playing them," Pierce said. "If you try and put any of your defenders on an island one-on-one, obviously they shot it well, they scored it well, and you're going to feel that."

"And you're trying to disrupt it a little bit," Pierce added. "We went zone a couple times, and then we doubled a couple times, and I don't think he felt the double team, and that's how some of the spray-out threes happened. So perfect night for them, for Klay to get going, and for Davion to hit a couple threes, and their bigs to put a lot of pressure on you in the individual matchups."

Miami went 5-of-17 from 3-point range in the first half. After halftime, the Heat made 13 of 23.

Pierce said the game "slows down for us" when Miami scores inside, because Indiana is "having to chase and chase" and then take the ball out. Over the final two quarters, Miami scored 28 points in the paint and 39 on 3-pointers.

Klay Thompson scored all 15 of his third-quarter points from beyond the arc, with Davion Mitchell assisting on two of the 3-pointers. Thompson finished with 25 points and did not play in the fourth quarter.

Mitchell finished with 15 points and 11 assists, hitting two of his three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

Indiana made 11 of 20 three-pointers before halftime, then went 6-for-17 after the break.

Pierce started Jay Huff at center with Ivica Zubac out with a left ankle sprain. Huff made his first four shots and finished with 13 points.

Miami outscored Indiana 16-4 in the paint in the second quarter. Pierce called it "the biggest difference," citing defensive rebounding and keeping the Heat "out of the paint."

The Heat outrebounded Indiana 48-37 and had a 16-13 edge in second-chance points. Kelly Oubre Jr. had four of Indiana's 14 offensive rebounds. Adebayo had four on the other end, and Miami finished with 15.

Pascal Siakam finished with five rebounds, while Jarace Walker and Kobe Brown each grabbed six.

Indiana scored 50 points in the paint, and Larry Nance Jr. had the team's only blocked shot. The Heat made 19 of 23 free throws, while Indiana made 20 of 27.

Miami assisted on 38 of its 54 field goals, and its 16 turnovers led to 26 Indiana points.

The Brooklyn Nets visit Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday for a 5 p.m. ET game against Indiana.