By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Miami Heat have steadied the ship. After dropping their first four games of the 2026–27 NBA Regular Season, the newly reshaped roster improved to a 2–4 record and marked a successful 1–0 start in the Emirates NBA Cup 2026 after a dominant victory versus the Indiana Pacers at Kaseya Center on Friday. Greek superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo fueled the effort, delivering 31 points, 18 rebounds, and 10 assists to log his second triple-double of the young campaign.
The night featured an offensive explosion from the perimeter, capitalized by Klay Thompson hitting seven of twelve shots from deep. When asked if the squad was intentionally searching for the veteran sharpshooter, the 31-year-old point forward dismissed any forced script.
“The ball just found him,” he explained in his postgame media session. “He’s one of our runners. He’s going to space the floor for us, he’s going to run the floor for us, and there’s going to be a lot of times that the ball is going to find him.”
Complimenting the outside shooting, Bam Adebayo powered the interior with 27 points. Reflecting on what jumped out most over the last two outings, Antetokounmpo pointed directly to his frontcourt partner. “Bam,” he stressed. “I think he did a great job setting the tone, and after that, the game becomes easier for us.”
As the group builds familiarity, the Athens native admitted the early winless stretch brought a collective shock. “I feel like the first four games, it was a good feeling,” he said. “We were kind of in shock of how things were going, but it’s a good feeling. Because now you know that feeling. Being down, being doubted, being criticized. And now that we are winning. We have two in a row. We just got to keep on staying humble, because this can flip immediately.”
Head coach Erik Spoelstra will look to sustain this momentum. Miami now heads out for a five-game road trip, beginning Monday against Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers.
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