The Miami Heat took a commanding 2-0 series lead after their 109-100 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 on Thursday.
Five Heat players finished with double-digit points led by Duncan Robinson's game-high 24. Miami hit 18 3-pointers in the win.
Here are six takeaways from the Heat's comfortable Game 2 win.
No Kendrick Nunn, no problem
Rookie of the Year finalist Kendrick Nunn appeared in 67 games for the Heat this season and started in all 67 of them.
So far in the playoffs, he's had two DNP-CDs.
Nunn wasn't the most efficient scorer this season, but he did give the Heat a solid one-on-one player who could get his own shot. His play in the bubble since the restart has been a struggle, however, averaging 10.8 points on 31.3 percent shooting from the field and 20.7 percent from 3-point range.
Nunn was late to join the Heat ahead of the bubble and also left the bubble in the middle of the seeding games for personal reasons. That coupled with his poor play might be the reason he's not a part of the rotation right now. It hasn't affected the Heat yet and it might not but that's how quickly life can change in the NBA.
First-quarter importance
No team shot better from the field in the first quarter of games than the Heat in the regular season. The Heat led the league in field goal percentage at 49.9 percent and 3-point percentage at 41.6 percent in the opening frame. Getting in a rhythm early has been a large part of their success.
The Pacers held the Heat to just 38.9 percent shooting after the first in Game 2. No one other than Duncan Robinson could make a shot for the Heat. It was a defensive win for the Pacers. The only problem was Indiana couldn't buy a bucket either.
If the Pacers want to get back in this series, they'll need a similar defensive effort in the opening period of Game 3.
Duncan Robinson is wet
Robinson hit 270 3s in the regular season. The Pacers watched him drill seven more in Game 2.
Robinson finished with 24 points in the win on Thursday. He got hot and Indiana simply couldn't slow him down.
6️⃣ for 6️⃣
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) August 20, 2020
🐐 @D_Bo20 pic.twitter.com/NHS5sTv2Yn
There are a lot of things the Pacers can clean up ahead of Game 3, and slowing down Robinson should be somewhere on that list.
This season, Robinson shot 50.6 from the field in Miami's wins. In their losses, he shot just 41.8 percent from the floor. The Pacers let Robinson roam and get a flow without much resistance in Game 2. They need to be more physical with him going forward.
Jimmy Butler has his stroke back
Speaking of 3-point shooting, remember when Jimmy Butler couldn't make a 3 to save his life?
Butler shot a dismal 24.4 percent from deep this season. In Game 1, he knocked down two huge long balls to help seal the win. In Game 2, he's ... pulling up in transition to nail triples?!
You know who's in charge. pic.twitter.com/SAxvO7SSGv
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) August 20, 2020
Some guys are struggling to find their shot without a crowd in the arena, Butler isn't one of them.
Energy and effort
The Heat just seemed to have more urgency through the game than the Pacers did. The 50/50 balls went Miami's way and they continually went the extra mile defensively to make life tough for the Pacers.
Kelly Olynyk had a spectacular block in the first half.
Kelly Olynyk, WOW 😳 pic.twitter.com/7qIizhByVK
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) August 20, 2020
And look at this block by Andre Iguodala, denying what would've been a wide-open 3:
Who saw this coming? pic.twitter.com/RrkMyc52EG
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) August 20, 2020
Another long night for Victor Oladipo
Victor Oladipo finished with 22 points but shot horribly from the field, going 5-for-14.
He also had six of the Pacers' 16 turnovers.
Miami is a tough matchup for Oladipo to get his groove back against. They can throw Butler, Iguodala and Jae Crowder at him at any given time. Tyler Herro, who's not yet known for his defence, was even giving Oladipo issues throughout the game.
There is a slight positive in the fourth quarter Oladipo had. He got going a bit with 10 of his 22 coming in the fourth, but the Pacers will need a lot more where that came from if they want to get back in this series.
T.J. Warren and Malcolm Brogdon can certainly step up themselves and have better games, but if Oladipo is going to be on the floor, he can't be the negative he was in Thursday's loss.
Up next...
The Pacers will try to avoid the dreaded 3-0 hole on Saturday.
Game 3 tips off at 3:30 p.m. ET. You can catch the game on TSN 3 in Canada and on TNT in the U.S.
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