Despite not having nearly half of their roster, the Miami Heat found a way to carve out a 121-110 victory over the Sacramento Kings at the Golden 1 Center on Tuesday (PHL time).
The Heat were without Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jovic, and Thomas Bryant, who were suspended following an altercation against the New Orleans Pelicans last Saturday.
Tyler Herro (left knee), Terry Rozier (right knee), Josh Richardson (right shoulder), and Orlando Robinson (back) were also out with injuries.
Bam Adebayo led the way for the nine-man Miami squad with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists, while Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 26 markers.
Kevin Love likewise provided a big spark with 19 points off the bench for the Heat.
Domantas Sabonis, on the other hand, had 14 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists for his NBA-high 21st triple-double of the season.
Keegan Murray scored 28 and De’Aaron Fox added 27 for Sacramento. But they were unable to extend the Kings' three-game winning streak, which included a huge win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.
Sacramento attempted a comeback, with Kevin Huerter hitting a 3-pointer and Murray adding two more within a minute, igniting a 14-1 surge that reduced the gap to six points in the middle of the fourth quarter after a floater by Fox.
keegan from deeeeep 🏹🎯 pic.twitter.com/6qYsfvH0JX
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) February 27, 2024
The Kings then narrowed the margin to two points with a layup by Fox at the 3:41 mark, but consecutive baskets from Jaquez prevented them from drawing even closer.
Let the rook COOK pic.twitter.com/YoK9Qx277R
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) February 27, 2024
Miami’s win was sealed by a thunderous slam by Caleb Martin with 49 seconds left in the game to give the Heat an eight-point lead.
HOLD UP pic.twitter.com/NkuWq78SRq
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) February 27, 2024
The victory moves Miami to 32-25 for sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings, while the Kings slide to 33-24 as seventh in the West.
