NBA: Heat beat travel logistics, Suns for road victory

Bam Adebayo led the Miami Heat with 22 points, while Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half as the Heat overcame sleep deprivation and pulled away from the Phoenix Suns for a 111-102 victory on Sunday.

Norman Powell added 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Andrew Wiggins recorded his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The win capped the Heat’s longest road trip of the season, finishing 3-2.

The Heat arrived in Phoenix at 4:30 a.m. local time after their flight from Salt Lake City was delayed by more than three hours, according to FlightAware.

For the Suns, Dillon Brooks scored 26 points and Grayson Allen added 18. Phoenix played without leading scorer Devin Booker, who sat out with a sprained ankle. This was the Suns’ first home game after a 12-day, six-game road trip.

Jaquez’s 3-pointer capped a 19-6 run to open the fourth quarter, giving Miami their biggest lead at 101-83 with 6:35 remaining. The Suns never got closer than nine points after that.

Miami won back-to-back games for the first time since their four-game winning streak ended with a victory over Detroit on Jan. 1.

Both teams struggled offensively. The Heat shot 41.9% (39 of 93) from the field and were 9 of 35 on 3-pointers. The Suns shot 37% (37 of 100) and made 7 of 35 from long range.

Phoenix had been on a six-game home winning streak, and this loss ended the first game of a stretch where they will play nine of their next 10 games at home. The Suns’ largest lead was just two points on Sunday.

Booker suffered a right ankle injury in Friday’s loss at Atlanta and did not play. Jalen Green also missed the game after aggravating a season-long hamstring injury.

Miami also played without starters Tyler Herro (ribs) and Kel’el Ware (hamstring).

Adebayo and Powell each scored 13 points in the first half, helping the Heat close the second quarter with a 16-4 run to lead 58-48. The Suns missed 13 consecutive shots in the second quarter, and both teams combined to shoot 5 of 36 from beyond the arc at halftime.

Allen briefly grabbed his left knee after a foul near the end of the second quarter but remained in the game.

—Field Level Media/Reuters