Miami’s Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo both posted triple-doubles as the Heat rallied late and dominated overtime to beat the Atlanta Hawks 135-121 on Tuesday and remain unbeaten at home this NBA season.
Adebayo scored a career-high 30 points with 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his first career triple-double – producing double figures in three key statistical categories. Butler scored 20 points with a career-high 18 rebounds and 10 assists for the Heat, who improved to 11-0 at AmericanAirlines Arena.
After surrendering an early lead Miami trailed 117-111 with less than a minute remaining in regulation. Atlanta’s Trae Young told the Heat crowd “it’s over” – but it turned out he spoke too soon. Three-pointers from Duncan Robinson and Butler tied it up and the Heat opened overtime with a 16-0 scoring run.
“We’ve got grit,” Adebayo said. “When we go into that huddle in overtime we know what time it is. We couldn’t get it done in regular, but we got it done in OT so I’m happy for that.”
Robinson finished with a career-high 10 three-pointers on the way to a career-high 34 points. Kendrick Nunn led Miami with a career-high 36 points – one shy of the Heat rookie record – as the hosts notched a third victory over Atlanta this season.
De’Andre Hunter paced the Hawks with 28 points and Young added 21. Vince Carter contributed 12 for Atlanta and in the process became just the fifth player in NBA history to play in 1,500 games.
Carter, 42, joined Robert Parish (1,611), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,560), Dirk Nowitzki (1,522) and John Stockton (1,504) in reaching the milestone.
“You have to be a big time professional,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Carter’s longevity. “You have to commit to your craft and to your body in a way that most professionals aren’t willing to do.
“You have to go to great lengths to keep yourself young in a young league ... Then you have to continue to reinvent yourself.”
76ers top Nuggets
The Philadelphia 76ers also remained perfect at home, notching their third straight victory 97-92 over the Denver Nuggets.
Sixers big man Joel Embiid scored 22 points, coolly draining two free throws with 15.3 seconds remaining to seal the victory. Embiid added 10 rebounds and six assists – with two steals and a blocked shot – and Tobias Harris added 20 points as Philadelphia improved to 13-0 at home with their seventh win in eight games.
Will Barton led the Nuggets with 26 points, after Denver’s top scorer Jamal Murray departed in the first quarter after a collision with Ben Simmons.
A change of scenery didn’t help the New York Knicks, who opened a four-game West Coast road trip with a 115-87 loss to the Trail Blazers in Portland.
Damian Lillard scored 31 points and Hassan Whiteside added 17 points and 15 rebounds for Portland, who led by as many as 32 points against Knicks team that lost their 10th straight game.
Portland’s Carmelo Anthony, a 10-time All-Star who joined the Trail Blazers in November after more than a year out of the league, scored 16 points against his former club.
In Charlotte, Devonte Graham posted his sixth game of six or more three-pointers this season, draining half a dozen from beyond the arc on the way to 29 points in the Hornets’ 114-107 victory over the Washington Wizards.
Davis Bertans scored a career-high 32 points off the bench for Washington, boosting his tally with eight three-pointers.
But six Hornets players scored in double figures as Charlotte secured the win.
Miles Bridges nailed a three-pointer from the corner with 7.7 seconds remaining to give the Hornets a 112-107 advantage in a hard-fought game that saw the lead change hands 20 times.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!