Prior to Saturday's game against the Utah Jazz, the Miami Heat had come off of a tough loss against the Portland Trail Blazers Thursday, falling by 17 points.
However, the Heat came out firing against Utah and led 73-52 at the half. They went on to win by 31 and tied a season-high with 147 points. Although Miami had seven players in double-figures, it was Bam Adebayo who shined the brightest, scoring 26 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.
This performance came after Adebayo was challenged by head coach Erik Spoelstra. Teammate Nikola Jovic revealed how the conversation went by saying: “Spo kind of went off on us, especially on Bam, which I think kind of set the tone.” Jovic went on to say: “When you start talking to the captain first, we just knew we had to take more responsibility and be more locked in. So I think it’s simple as that. Just maybe we had a little more pressure on us and it helped.”
Jovic also performed well after the talk, finishing with 23 points off the bench on 6-for-12 shooting. He also added three rebounds, one steal and one block.
Following Saturday's game, the Heat had to quickly shift their focus to the Phoenix Suns, facing them Sunday on the second night of a back-to-back.
Miami currently leads Phoenix in the second quarter, as the Suns are without both Devin Booker and Jalen Green.
After Sunday's game, the Heat will return to action Wednesday against the Orlando Magic.
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