‘These Are 2K Numbers,’ ‘They Doubted Us’ — Heat Fans Celebrate As Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo Lead Miami Resurgence

Shirsh Sanstuti Sat, November 14, 2026 at 12:08 PM UTC

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Nov 4, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) talks with forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (7) during the first half against the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome. © Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Miami Heat reached .500 on Friday night with a 133-121 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in an NBA Cup group game at Kaseya Center. It was their sixth win in eight games since a 0-4 start.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo did the heavy lifting with 37 points apiece, and fans wasted no time celebrating Miami’s climb back to even.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo Fuel Miami Resurgence After 0-4 Season Start

Cleveland led 57-54 at halftime and trailed only 92-91 going into the fourth quarter, when Miami pulled away with a 41-30 period.

Adebayo owned the fourth quarter, scoring 18 of his 37 points in the period. The Heat center scored Miami’s first 10 points of the fourth quarter, turning a one-point lead into a 102-93 cushion. He shot 13-of-19 from the field and 9-of-10 at the line, grabbed 14 rebounds, and did not commit a turnover in 38 minutes.

Antetokounmpo had done his damage earlier, pouring in 14 points in the third quarter as Miami regained the lead. He matched Adebayo’s 37 on 15-of-20 shooting and added 9 rebounds in 31 minutes.

After the game, the Heat forward turned the spotlight on his frontcourt partner, calling Adebayo “one of the most versatile bigs I’ve ever played with.”

The duo’s 74 points drew an instant response, and Legion Hoops pointed straight to the turnaround, writing, “The Heat are now .500 after starting the season 0-4. Look out. Miami is starting to click…”

Another fan looked beyond the two stars. Heat point guard Davion Mitchell posted 22 points and 17 assists, while rookie Ryan Conwell added 20 points.

“This might be the greatest 4-man stat line in Miami Heat history. These are 2K numbers,” the fan wrote.

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Another Heat fan celebrated the turnaround, writing, “They doubted us, Spo FC.”

The victory moved Miami to 6-6, level with the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference standings. The Heat also improved to 2-0 in NBA Cup play, taking sole possession of first place in East Group B.

Another hoops observer looked at the bigger picture, posting, “Miami is figuring it out. They had too much talent to be bad for long.”

Antetokounmpo struck a more measured tone after the game: “We’re making progress in trust. … There’s still a lot of work to be done. We’re not even close.”

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The Heat outscored Cleveland 56-40 in the paint and outrebounded the Cavaliers 46-36. Adebayo still found room to step out, going 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, including a 26-foot 3-pointer that Antetokounmpo set up in the third quarter.

A different fan zeroed in on how the two stars fit together, writing, “Bam and Giannis finally look like they’re playing off each other instead of crowding the paint.”

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra spelled out what he expects from the pair but stopped short of promising a repeat. “Bam and Giannis, they are supposed to carry us with their force. Will the stat line always look like that? I don’t know.”

Miami gets its first chance to answer that question on Saturday night, when the Detroit Pistons visit Kaseya Center for the second game of a back-to-back. Later this month, the Heat close NBA Cup group play on the road against the Philadelphia 76ers on November 25 and the Knicks on November 27.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.

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Source: “AOL Sports”