Giannis leads Miami Heat to 145-125 win over Pacers in NBA Cup opener

The Miami Heat opened their NBA Cup play with a 145-125 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Friday night, WSVN 7News reported.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 31 points and recorded his second triple-double of the season, adding 17 rebounds and 10 assists in 31 minutes on the court, according to CBS News Miami.

Bam Adebayo contributed 27 points, making 11 of 14 shots, while Klay Thompson had 25 points and seven 3-pointers, marking his best game since joining Miami. Thompson is now 55 three-pointers shy of matching Ray Allen for third-most in NBA history.

The Pacers, who were short-handed with only 11 players available due to injuries including Tyrese Haliburton and Obi Toppin, struggled despite early scoring bursts. Indiana scored 42 points in the first quarter and 46 in the next two combined but could not keep pace with Miami.

Acting Pacers coach Lloyd Pierce, filling in for Rick Carlisle, noted the team's challenges with injuries and the loss. The defeat puts the Pacers in a difficult position to advance from the NBA Cup group stage, where teams typically need a 4-0 or 3-1 record to reach the knockout round.