Heat Beat Pacers 145-125 in NBA Cup Opener as Giannis Posts 31-Point Triple-Double

Giannis Antetokounmpo posted his second triple-double of the season and the Miami Heat opened NBA Cup play with a 145-125 win over the visiting Indiana Pacers on Friday, October 30, 2026, at Kaseya Center in Miami. Antetokounmpo finished with 31 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists in 31 minutes and shot 13 of 18 from the field, a full night of work in a game Miami controlled from the second quarter on.

Bam Adebayo added 27 points on 11 of 14 shooting. Klay Thompson scored 25 points with seven 3-pointers, his best game since joining Miami. With three scorers at 25 points or more, Miami put up 145 points, and the Pacers never found a stretch long enough to pull the game back.

Miami takes control in the middle quarters

Indiana started better. The Pacers won the first quarter 42-36 and led the game early behind a fast opening. Miami answered across the middle of the game and settled it there. The Heat outscored Indiana 67-46 over the second and third quarters, led 68-61 at halftime, and then closed with a 42-point fourth quarter. The full quarter line read Indiana 42, 19, 27 and 37, and Miami 36, 32, 35 and 42.

The shooting matched the score. Miami made 18 of 40 shots from 3-point range and shot nearly 60 percent from the field overall. The win was Miami's second straight, and it came on the first night of Cup group play, where the 20-point margin also helps Miami in the point difference column used for group tiebreaks.

A short-handed Indiana side

Indiana played with only 11 available players. Tyrese Haliburton is sidelined for at least a couple of weeks and possibly longer with a hamstring strain. Obi Toppin was lost when his back went out before shootaround on Friday morning, acting coach Lloyd Pierce said, as reported by the Associated Press. The absences left Indiana thin against a Miami team that kept scoring in every quarter.

Quenton Jackson led Indiana with 24 points on 9 of 13 shooting. The Pacers scored 37 points in the fourth quarter, their best late stretch, but the middle quarters had already decided the game and Miami matched the pace to the end.

What happens next

Both teams are 2-4 on the season after the game. Indiana hosts Brooklyn on Sunday, November 1, and Miami visits the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, November 2.