The Miami Heat had no qualms about letting him fly against the Indiana Pacers.
In their 125-96 victory, the Heat tied a franchise-record with 22 3-pointers, just the fourth time in franchise history that they have scored so many.
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Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro did most of the damage, combining for 11 of 22 triples, with Robinson dropping 6 of 10 to finish with 26 points, while Herro went 5 of 8 for his 26 points.
His triple record came with 1:36 to play … who else but Udonis Haslem!
The 41-year-old played just six minutes into the night, appearing around the corner to put the icing on the cake.
UDONIS HASLEM FROM DEEP to tie the @Miami Heat franchise record of 22 triples! pic.twitter.com/J5r49EsWJj
– NBA (@NBA) December 22, 2023
“When the ball moves like this, people just feel the energy of the ball, a disinterested game,” Robinson said after the game. “It’s easy to let it fly.”
Kyle Lowry nearly posted a triple-double with eight points, 11 rebounds and 12 of the team’s 30 assists, while Max Strus added 18 points and KZ Okpala 16.
The Heat now sit at 19-13 on the season, remaining on the hunt in the Eastern Conference, despite prolonged absences from Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. They were also without PJ Tucker tonight, but they have found a lot of cubes on the list, with 75 of their 126 points coming from undrafted players.
“Miami was tremendous,” Pacers head coach Carlisle said. “They played a phenomenal game. They played at an extremely high level and obviously we didn’t play well. So it was a difficult night. ”
The @Miami Heat tied his franchise record with 22 3-pointers behind a combined 52 PTS and 11 3PM of @raf_tyler Y @ D_Bo20 🔥 pic.twitter.com/8RakiD2O8Y
– NBA (@NBA) December 22, 2023
Miami’s first eight shots of the game all came from the 3-point line, with their first five shots from the field going from three, setting the tone for the game as they outscored Indiana by 33 points from the center of town.
The Heat have been one of the deadliest teams beyond the arc this season, ranking fourth in 3-point percentage (36.9), with only the Bulls, Hornets and Hawks shooting at a better rate.
Through 32 games played, the Heat are seventh in 3s and 14th in attempts, with their 49 3-point attempts tonight, a season high and the seventh time in their last 10 games that they have thrown more than 40. triples.
It’s a notable improvement over last season, where they ranked 19th in 3-point percentage (35.8), 14th in 3-point scoring and 11th in attempts.