Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Heat overcome slow start to throttle shorthanded Pacers in first NBA cup game of the season winning 145-125. Miami picks up their second straight win as the team is starting to gel at the start of their five-game road trip to start November. Here are my five takeaways from tonight’s game.

SLOW START

The Miami Heat got off to a slow start when the second unit came in the game. Dru Smith committed two straight turnovers, and super reliable backup forward Bobby Portis couldn’t connect on any of his field goal attempts in five minutes of play that quarter. The starting unit continues to try and find its rhythm.

The Pacers often went into a zone defense without Davion Mitchell or Giannis on the floor the Heat struggled. That was until Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo got aggressive and took the game over.

BAM ADEBAYO GETS AGGRESSIVE

Bam finished the half with 15 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. He started to slice the Pacers apart in the middle of the floor. He was engaged and played with force to start the turnaround before handing the keys to the offense to Giannis in the second quarter. Bam finished the game with 27 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.

GIANNIS"S 2ND QUARTER RUN

When the second quarter tide started shifting it was due to the tsunami that is Giannis dominated at the rim on both ends of the floor. He finished the half with 17 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and a block. He shot an unbelievable 87.5% from the field in the first half.

He was a force of nature that was too much for anyone for the Pacers to handle in the post or transition. Giannis notched another triple double finishing the game with 31 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists.

KLAY CATCHES FIRE

It has been no small secret among Heat fans that Klay Thompson has struggled shooting the ball this season. That ended tonight when he erupted hitting 5 three pointers in the 3rd quarter. He finished the game with 25 points, and 3 assists. His shooting splits were an unreal 64.3/58.3 on the night finishing 7/12 from deep.

This is an almost indefensible team when Giannis and Bam have it going inside and Klay is bombing away from beyond the arc. You shouldn’t expect this every night from this version of Thompson, but he can catch fire on any given night.

KLAY THOMPSON WITH ANOTHER 3

UP TO 10 PTS pic.twitter.com/iUeNNr8HUc

— The HEAT Realm (@WadexFlash) October 31, 2026

LEADER

Davion Mitchell has become a vital member of this Miami Heat squad. He sets the tempo for everything that they do. He had another double-double making  it 4 in the first 6 games to start the season. He finished with 15 points, 11 assists and 6 rebounds. All while only turning the ball over just 3 times tonight.

GLUE GUY

I expect Pelle Larsson to close every game he is healthy for the Heat. He is an outstanding connector and secondary ball handler that the Heat desperately need. He has an outstanding rapport with Giannis and the whole closing group.

He finished tonight perfect from the floor, scoring 18 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. His only blemish on the night was the lone missed free throw going 7 of 8 from the charity stripe.