Bam Adebayo emerged victorious against Domantas Sabonis, while the short-handed Miami Heat received a total of 34 points from Kevin Love and Haywood Highsmith off the bench. Despite being understaffed, the Miami Heat managed to secure a 121-110 victory over the Kings on Monday night.
In the absence of star player Jimmy Butler, Adebayo stepped up against the Kings with an impressive performance of 28 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists to lead the Miami Heat to their fourth consecutive victory. Butler and Nikola Jovic were suspended for one game due to their involvement in a fight during a previous game, while Thomas Bryant was serving a three-game suspension.
The Miami Heat were also missing Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier due to knee injuries. Despite Sabonis’ strong performance with 14 rebounds and 10 assists, the Kings were limited to 110 points or fewer for just the 15th time this season. Jaquez scored 26 points for Miami, with Caleb Martin contributing 16 and Delon Wright adding 13. Duncan Robinson led with 11 assists, while Kevin Huerter scored 14 points and Harrison Barnes added 10 for the Kings.
Nets 111, Grizzlies 86
Dennis Schroder led the Brooklyn Nets to their first victory under interim coach Kevin Ollie with 18 points in a wire-to-wire 111-86 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Cam Thomas also contributed 14 points for the Nets before leaving the game due to a right ankle injury. Dorian Finney-Smith and Lonnie Walker IV each scored 13 points and combined for 15 rebounds. Other contributors for the Nets included Cameron Johnson with 12 points, Mikal Bridges with 11, and Nic Claxton with 10. On the Grizzlies’ side, Lamar Stevens led with 17 points, followed by Jaren Jackson Jr. with 15 points on a 2-for-12 shooting performance. Luke Kennard added 11 points and Jake LaRavia chipped in 10 for the Grizzlies.
Knicks 113, Pistons 111
In a thrilling game on Monday night, the New York Knicks secured a 113-111 victory over the Detroit Pistons with a last-minute layup by Josh Hart. The Knicks, led by Brunson’s impressive 35 points and 12 assists, extended their winning streak against the Pistons to 14 games. Hart contributed 23 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, while DiVincenzo added 21 points. Bojan Bogdanovic also chipped in with 13 points and six rebounds. On the Pistons’ side, Cade Cunningham stood out with 32 points and eight assists, but it wasn’t enough to break their six-game losing streak. Quentin Grimes and Jaden Ivey each scored 14 points, Simone Fontecchio added 12, and Jalen Duren contributed 11 points along with 16 rebounds.
Raptors 130, Pacers 122
Scottie Barnes achieved a triple-double with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists, while RJ Barrett contributed nine of his team-leading 24 points in the final quarter. The Toronto Raptors defeated the Indiana Pacers 130-122 in Indianapolis, extending their winning streak to three games after the All-Star break. Bennedict Mathurin matched his career-high with 34 points for the Pacers. Haliburton struggled, scoring only nine points on 2-of-11 shooting. Immanuel Quickley scored 19 points, and Jakob Poeltl added 15 points and 10 rebounds in the victory. Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 27 points and nine rebounds, and Myles Turner contributed 16 points and 11 rebounds.
