Concerns about the effectiveness of Giannis Antetokounmpo-Bam Adebayo mating was facilitated. They each scored 37 points in Friday’s 133-121 win over Cleveland.
“We are making progress in trust. We must continue to do our work quietly, humbly.” Adetakumba said, trans ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe. “There’s still a lot of work to be done. We’re not even close. There’s still a lot of work to be done.”
The Heat hit .500 after an 0-4 start.
“Bam and Janice, they have to carry us with their strength. Will the stats always look like this? I don’t know.” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It’s a lot of power that they bring to the opponent in the paint. They both play with confidence and when they get to their spots, but it was the power and physicality that the opponent has to feel when those two guys are on the floor. That’s our strength.”
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Jalen Suggs came off the bench Friday in his first game since recovering from a sprained right knee. Sagz, who hasn’t played since Oct. 25, went 1-for-8 from the field. magic coach Sean Sweeney offered this explanation for why Suggs came off the bench. “Just trying to make sure we got the game.” Sweeney said Jason Bead of the Orlando Sentinel (Link to Twitter). “(We) talked a little bit before the game about when some guys come back from injury, they try to handle it by playing 40 minutes instead of 48 minutes.”
- Tim Hardaway JrMinutes from Heat decreased. He saw 20 minutes of action on Friday, though he only contributed four points, but had played just 18 minutes combined in his previous three appearances. Hardaway, who joined Miami on a one-year, $6.1 million deal, didn’t play at all against Utah on Tuesday. “I was on three different teams, three different years” Hardaway said Anthony Chung of the Miami Herald. “I’ve been able to adjust wherever I’ve been, wherever I’ve gone. So that’s another step in the direction where I need to get there and process things and get ready. And I know what I can do to help the team win.”
- Trey Young signed a four-year, $212 million extension from Wizards in June. He flashed his old All-Star form on Thursday with 37 points and 14 assists in a double-overtime loss to Detroit. “This is what I do” Yang said Josh Robbins of The Athletic. “It’s never bothered me. I’m not worried about what I did at the beginning of the season. I’m … more focused on our wins and losses, and for me it’s just about putting myself in winning situations. And I don’t think I’ve done a good enough job on the road putting us in winning situations.”