The Miami Heat entered Saturday night's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder looking to bounce back, having lost four of their last five.
Without Tyler Herro, Davion Mitchell and Jaime Jaquez Jr., the Heat seemed outmatched on paper, but showed resilience, earning one of their strongest wins of the season.
Despite shooting 37% from the field, Miami was able to get the job done, led by another strong performance from three-time all-star Bam Adebayo.
The nine-year veteran finished with a team-high 30 points to go along with 12 rebounds and four assists, making him the only Miami player to score 20 or more.
After struggling in the early stages of the season, Adebayo seems to be coming into form. Averaging 17 points per game so far this year (his lowest since the 2019-20 season), Adebayo has seen a scoring surge as of late.
In his last three games, Adebayo is averaging 27 points and just one turnover per game.
With the victory, the Heat improved to 22-20 on the season, but remain firmly in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. In order to avoid the Play-In tournament, Miami will have to finish top-six, earning a guaranteed spot in the postseason.
The Heat currently trail the Cavaliers by 1 1/2 games for that spot, with the Philadelphia 76ers in between at seventh.
Miami's next stretch will be a difficult test, facing the Golden State Warriors Monday, the first game of a five-game West Coast road trip.
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