Miami didn’t dominate wire to wire, but it never truly lost control either. Even when Phoenix made late pushes, the Heat answered with poise, timely buckets, and just enough defense to keep the Suns at arm’s length in a 127-121 win. It was the kind of performance that doesn’t always feel overwhelming in the moment, yet looks convincing once the final numbers settle.
The story of the night was balance at the top and discipline everywhere else. Miami’s three primary scorers carried the offensive load, combining for 79 points, while the supporting cast filled gaps with passing, rebounding, and smart possessions. Phoenix had strong individual performances of its own, but the Suns couldn’t sustain momentum long enough to flip the game when it mattered most.
Miami’s Big Three Controlled The Game Without Forcing It
Bam Adebayo was the engine that set everything in motion. He finished with 29 points on an incredibly efficient 11-of-15 shooting, knocking down four threes and adding nine rebounds and four assists. What stood out wasn’t just the scoring, but how calmly he dictated matchups. Phoenix never really figured out whether to switch, double, or live with the results, and all three options burned them.
Tyler Herro and Norman Powell complemented him perfectly. Herro added 23 points in 39 minutes, mixing in drives, pull-ups, and timely free throws, while Powell chipped in 27 on 10-of-18 shooting with four triples. None of the three needed to hijack possessions. Miami assisted on 28 baskets as a team, and that constant movement kept Phoenix’s defense reacting instead of setting.
Phoenix Got Production, But Not Consistency
On paper, the Suns put up respectable numbers. Devin Booker recorded 24 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists, while Dillon Brooks scored 25 and Mark Williams added 18 points with 14 boards. The issue wasn’t effort, it was rhythm. Booker struggled from the field, going 6-of-19, and Phoenix’s offense stalled for long stretches when shots stopped falling.
The Suns shot just 43.1% and 29.2% from three, and those dry spells were costly. Even when they generated second chance, 18 offensive rebounds, they often failed to convert them into clean looks. Miami consistently responded to Suns runs with a basket or two of its own, preventing Phoenix from ever stringing together the kind of stretch that flips a close game.
Miami’s Ball Movement Made The Difference
This game quietly swung on passing and decision-making. Miami finished with 28 assists to Phoenix’s 22, and the Heat’s reads were quicker and sharper all night. Davion Mitchell had six assists in just 19 minutes, Jaime Jaquez Jr. added eight off the bench, and Bam consistently found cutters once the defense collapsed.
Phoenix, meanwhile, leaned heavily on individual creation. That worked at times, especially when Brooks attacked early in the shot clock or when Booker drew fouls, but it also led to stagnation. The Suns finished with 13 turnovers, several of which came during moments when they were trying to speed the game up. Miami, by contrast, stayed patient, rarely gifting possessions back.
Phoenix’s Extra Possessions Didn’t Matter
On paper, this should have been the Suns’ safety. They crashed the glass hard, pulled down 18 offensive rebounds, and gave themselves far more second chances than Miami.
Mark Williams alone lived around the rim, finishing with 14 boards and six on the offensive end. Royce O’Neale and Dillon Brooks chipped in as well, keeping possessions alive and forcing Miami to defend longer than it wanted to.
But those extra chances rarely turned into momentum. Too often, Phoenix settled after the rebound instead of attacking immediately, kicking the ball back out into late-clock jumpers or rushed threes.
The Suns finished just 14-of-48 from deep, and several of those misses came right after winning the possession battle. Miami bent, recovered, and reset without panicking, which drained the energy out of what should have been advantage situations.
