Erik Spoelstra is pumped up and proud of the two-way display of Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler that propelled the Miami Heat to a come-from-behind win over the Phoenix Suns in a Monday thriller.
“Those two guys are really the foundational heartbeat pieces to our team,” Spoelstra said of Adebayo and Butler, via Associated Press’ Tim Reynolds. “We follow their warrior spirits. They’re just so tough, the epitome of being two-way basketball players.”
Adebayo was the big-time player of the night with his 30 markers and 10 boards to lead the Heat’s fourth-quarter 13-point storm to put a shocker on the side of the Suns.
The star big man was marvelous down the stretch, outscoring Phoenix in the last eight minutes of the duel, 12-10. He also sealed the crucial pair of free throws to give Miami a late edge.
For his part, Butler churned out a versatile display with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists including the game-winning defensive stops against Devin Booker.
“I love the fact that we won this game on the defensive end,” Butler said.
Following the gutsy win, Miami improved to 7-7, while the Suns dropped with an 8-5 card as they marked their two-game losing skid.
