The Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers are now tied in the East at 2-4. (Mandatory Credit: Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
The Miami Heat secured their first home win of the season to open NBA Cup play on Friday, dismantling a shorthanded Indiana Pacers squad, 145-125. Opponent notwithstanding, their process looked substantially better, and resulted in the Heat’s best all-around performance this season.
Here were a few key numbers from their second win of the season.
40.5 – Offensive Rebound Percentage:
Skinny: While there’s been worthwhile concerns on the defensive glass, Miami was excellent on the offensive glass in Friday’s win. They corralled over 40 percent of their misses, according to NBA.com’s tracking data. Per Stathead, this is their 11th game over the last 10 years with a 39.0 percent offensive rebound rate or better — they are 10-1 in those games.
This is a direct benefit of playing one of Antetokounmpo or Adebayo at the dunker spot (we’ll touch on that shortly). Those two combined for 10 offensive rebounds; Davion Mitchell had two, while Nikola Jovic, Andrew Wiggins and Pelle Larsson all had one apiece.
Rebounding wins championships, and the Heat are 37-4 over the last five years in games where they finished a plus-10 or more on the glass with an advantage on the offensive glass.
58 – Combined Points From Bam Adebayo, Giannis Antetokounmpo
Skinny: This is what we all wanted to see.
Adebayo and Antetokounmpo played their best games together to date. Adebayo scored 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting with nine rebounds and three steals. Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo scored a game-high 31 points with 18 rebounds and 10 assists — his second triple-double of the season. Both players looked comfortable toggling between the mid-post and dunker spot.
The Heat’s attack offensively is more balanced than it was the first four, especially as it pertains to Giannis’ role as a shot creator. When either of those two players are properly utilized as rim runners and screeners, the offense opens up because both — especially Antetokounmpo — command gravity as rollers.
7 – Made Threes From Klay Thompson
Skinny: In just his sixth game with the Heat, Thompson became the 10th Heat player over the last five years to make at least seven threes in a single game. Miami caught a glimpse of vintage Klay that lit nylons on fire throughout the last decade-plus with Golden State and Dallas. Thompson scored 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting and 7-of-12 from 3-point range. Thompson wasn’t playing his best entering Friday, but it does not take him long to catch fire. He found a rhythm in the first quarter with a wide open corner three plus a pair of step-back mid-range jumpers — and he didn’t look back.
Klay Thompson tonight:
🔥25 PTS
🔥9-14 FG
🔥7-12 3PT (five in 3Q)
🔥3 AST
Was pretty critical of his first five games, but to echo Erik Spoelstra’s words, Klay is the “definition of ignitable.” pic.twitter.com/HbwYKEdORr
— Matt Hanifan (@mph_824_) October 31, 2026
38.5 – Pacers 2P FG% In 2nd, 3rd Quarters
Skinny: We’ve gushed plenty about the offense — let’s touch on the defense.
Miami began sluggish, as the Pacers scored 42 first quarter points against Miami. Even without Tyrese Haliburton, they were matching the Heat’s pace and taking advantage of their lackadaisical start at the point-of-attack.
That completely flipped in the second quarter. Miami sported a 97.6 defensive rating in the middle two quarters, and held the Pacers to just 38.5 percent shooting inside-the-arc. Notably, Davion Mitchell, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo and Nikola Jovic forced more late-clock possessions while limiting the amount of second-chance opportunities Indiana had. And that fueled their offense in (semi-)transition. Miami’s best offense starts with its defense.
What were a few numbers that stuck out to you from the Miami Heat’s win over the Indiana Pacers? Let us know in the comments!
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