Bam Adebayo scores 25, Jimmy Butler adds 24 and Heat hold off Suns 121-111

Updated Dec. 7, 2024 10:32 p.m. ET

Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) — Bam Adebayo scored 25 points, Jimmy Butler added 24 and the Miami Heat moved back over the .500 mark by beating the Phoenix Suns 121-111 on Saturday night.

Adebayo finished with 12 rebounds and eight assists for the Heat (11-10). Duncan Robinson scored 19 and Tyler Herro added 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for Miami, which outscored Phoenix 68-53 after halftime.

Royce O’Neale had 23 points for Phoenix (12-10), Devin Booker scored 21 and Grayson Allen finished with 16. Bradley Beal had 15 points for the Suns, who were outscored 62-32 in the paint.

The Suns played again without Kevin Durant (left ankle sprain) and Jusuf Nurkic (right thigh contusion).

Takeaways

Suns: Phoenix is winless in its last seven games without Durant and 1-8 when the four-time Olympic gold medalist hasn't played this season. If that wasn't bad enough, the Suns are now 0-8 when allowing 120 points; they're 12-2 when holding teams under that number.

Heat: Miami improved to 10-3 when holding teams under 115 points this season; the Heat are 1-7 when that doesn't happen. And they've now won three in a row at home for the first time this season.

Key moment

Butler had three points on three consecutive possessions — one on a 3-pointer, the other two on three-point plays — in a 62-second span late in the fourth quarter. Miami's lead went from three to 10 in that brief flurry that basically sealed the game.