Duncan Robinson ties a record, Heat guts out ugly first half to take 2-0 lead on Pacers
Jimmy Butler didn’t worry about Duncan Robinson’s quiet Game 1 against the Indiana Pacers. Instead, the All-Star wing took some of the blame for the ways Robinson struggled Tuesday in his first playoff game. Butler insisted he and his Miami Heat teammates needed to do a better job at getting looks for their dangerous three-point shooter.
On the first possession of Game 2 on Thursday, Butler set up Robinson for a 31-foot three-pointer. On the second possession, Robinson hit another three, curling around a screen. The third possession ended with an offensive rebound and second-chance three-pointer by the sharpshooting swingman. In less than two minutes, Robinson topped what he did in debut in the NBA playoffs and the Heat had the formula to follow to a 109-100 win in Lake Buena Vista.
“I felt like I was kind of just going through the motions out there in Game 1, I wasn’t as aggressive as I should’ve been,” Robinson said. “I just felt a better rhythm in this one for whatever reason, but that can’t be the case for me. I’ve got to kind of assert myself and not just have the game necessarily come to me, but be more aggressive.”
Robinson finished with 24 points on 7-of-8 shooting — all from three-point range — and tied a franchise record for threes in a playoff game and helped the team set a franchise record for makes in a playoff game. He started 6 of 6 from deep with 21 points until he finally missed in the third quarter after Miami’s lead had swelled to double digits.
The Heat finished 18 of 35 from three, helping Miami overcome a sloppy first half to take a commanding 2-0 series lead in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
Robinson’s initial outburst was critical for the Heat, which then took until late in the first half to find offensive consistency. Miami jumped out to a 12-3 lead behind Robinson, then fell behind 20-19 with four minutes left in the first quarter. The Heat went just 11 of 18 at the free-throw line with 10 turnovers in the first half, and didn’t retake the lead until forwards Andre Iguodala and Kelly Olynyk hit back-to-back threes to put Miami ahead 36-33 with 6:27 left in the half.
The second quarter ended with a takeover by Butler. He started with a contested three as the shot clock wound down to give the Heat a 47-44 lead with 1:37 left, then banked in an and-one runner from the free throw line and added two free throws to send Miami into the break with a 51-46 lead. Butler, who continued his elevated postseason play in after a 28-point opener, finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, six assists, two steals and two three-pointers, and the Heat never trailed in the second half.
In the third quarter, Robinson buried three more threes to push Miami’s lead out to double digits and Goran Dragic again delivered throughout the second half to ice the win. The guard, who scored 14 of his 24 points in Game 1 in the fourth quarter, scored 16 of his 20 in the second half Thursday to move Miami within two wins of the East semifinals.
“Our guys understand what the pathway is to our success. A lot of guys have to contribute,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We know where the ball is going to end up in the moments of truth, but we need a lot of contributions.”
This story was originally published August 20, 2020 at 3:38 PM.
