LeBron James and Dwyane Wade found a way to motivate their teammates Tuesday night.
James scored 23 points and nearly produced his first triple double in 11 months as Miami rolled to a 105-90 victory at Indiana to become the first NBA team in 33 years to win three road games in three nights.
“I think as far as team chemistry, we got better every single night,” James said. “Tonight we had 17 assists. We rebounded and defended. When we do that, we’re very, very tough to beat and it shows the professionalism of the group.”
Some thought it was time for Miami’s remarkable run to come crashing down.
They were playing their fourth road game in five days and were facing a team that had just gotten a two-day break and had hoped to make amends for a 35-point loss last month in Miami.
Instead, Indiana got Miami at full power.
After a quick start, the Heat dominated every facet until the closing minutes when the Pacers finally started trimming the lead.
Miami matched the three-game feat last achieved by Phoenix from Dec. 21-23, 1979. Miami also became the first team to win each of the three games by double digits since Milwaukee from Nov. 20-22, 1970. Plus, at 23-7, Miami has now tied the franchise’s best start.
