MIAMI -- Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo had their best performances of the season as a duo Friday night to help the Heat show their lofty potential as an East contender in a 133-121 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Adebayo had 37 points and 14 rebounds in a performance that led Antetokounmpo to praise him as "one of the most versatile bigs I've ever played with." Antetokounmpo added 37 points and nine rebounds.
The Heat improved to 2-0 in the NBA Cup and moved back to .500 (6-6) after winning six of their past eight games. Simply put, they are heating up after a slow start.
"Bam played great, aggressive, got to his spots. I did the same," Antetokounmpo said. "Every game will look differently. There will be times like tonight where we will overpower other bigs, but we can't force it."
It was an important statement win for the Heat, showing growth between the two stars who are trying to master their unique fit on the court. Against the Cavs, they looked like the best frontcourt in basketball as many predicted they would be in the offseason.
"We're making progress in trust. We need to keep doing our work quietly, humbly," Antetokounmpo said. "There's still a lot of work to be done we're not even close. Still a lot of work to be done."
The catalyst for Miami's standout performance Friday night was Adebayo, who showed extreme aggressiveness in scoring, rebounding and defense. This was especially true during a four-minute stretch early in the fourth quarter, when he took over in all phases with Antetokounmpo on the bench.
After the game, Adebayo was succinct, saying simply, "That's my unit," when asked about his dominant four-minute stretch and then, "I had to get in my rhythm," in response to his big night.
Spoelstra highlighted Adebayo's play early in the fourth quarter, noting that Adebayo's superpower is "how he can connect a group to embrace a challenge and use his force of will."
The Heat are starting to play with confidence and having fun again after an 0-4 start, which forced the group to focus on communication and building chemistry rather than on pure talent. The rewards are starting to surface.
Spoelstra said he began to see a difference in the team three weeks ago and felt confident the Heat would explode offensively.
"Bam and Giannis, they are supposed to carry us with their force. Will the stat line always look like that? I don't know," Spoelstra said. "That's a lot of force that they're putting on the opponent in the paint. They're both playing with confidence and when they get to their spots, but it was a force and physicality that the opponent has to feel when those two guys have to feel when those two guys are on the floor. That's our advantage."
Both stars gave a special shoutout to point guard Davion Mitchell, who functioned as a third star and the main facilitator Friday night with a career-high 17 assists to go with 22 points.
"That's insane," Antetokounmpo said.
The Heat host the Pistons on the second leg of a back-to-back Saturday, and guard Klay Thompson expressed hope he would be able to play after missing Friday's game with an ankle injury.