Bugle Miami

Heat vs. Pacers score: Jimmy Butler’s grit, Duncan Robinson’s shooting help Miami extend series lead to 2-0

The Miami Heat find themselves in a good spot as they now lead the Indiana Pacers 2-0 in this first-round playoff series, thanks to a 109-100 win on Thursday afternoon. The Heat started the game strong, behind Duncan Robinson’s three straight 3-pointers, and aside from a tightly contested first quarter where both teams went back and forth with the lead, Miami controlled the majority of this game. Robinson’s seven made 3s tied the franchise record for most 3-pointers (7) in a playoff game, heightening his profile as one of the premier 3-point shooters in the league. Robinson also makes NBA history by draining seven or more 3s without taking a single 2-pointer in a playoff game.

In addition to Robinson’s scoring, the Heat found contribution in other places as All-Star forward Bam Adebayo had an unusually quiet game, mainly due to early foul trouble that kept him out of much of the first half. The Heat got big performances from Goran Dragic — who started again in place of the rookie Kendrick Nunn. The Slovenian guard finished with 20 points and six assists, on top of Jimmy Butler’s 18-point, six-assist, five-rebound, two-steal performance. The Pacers tried to keep pace with the Heat’s hot shooting, but simply did not have the personnel to pull it off. Victor Oladipo led Indiana in scoring with 22 points, but again it wasn’t his typical All-Star, dominant performance that we’ve seen him produce.

The Heat now lead the series 2-0, with Game 3 set to take place on Saturday. 

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