The Bam Adebayo bounce back game as the Heat take down Booker, Suns

It's been a rough stretch for the Miami Heat.

A four game road trip included three losses and a delayed game before returning home tonight to face the Phoenix Suns.

The Heat were fully healthy yet again tonight, as Norman Powell made his return after missing a game with lower back soreness.

It was a pretty strong bounce back out the gate, as the Heat found an immediate scoring rhythm across the entire rotation, getting out to a 71-54 lead by halftime. The second half trickled into much tighter fashion, as the Suns stormed back while Heat showed up late.

But let's get into the good and the bad of tonight with some takeaways:

1. The Bam Adebayo night.

Jan 13, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) enters the court during player introductions before the game against the Phoenix Suns at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

It's been a rough few weeks for the Miami Heat's captain Bam Adebayo. Struggling to crack 15 points most nights, he hasn't found his jumper or touch down low in some time. But he came out the gate tonight firing. He found himself at 10 points before the halfway mark of the first quarter, as it was clear his confidence was high immediately. Shooting off the catch with zero reluctance, working that short turnaround jumper, and just putting his head down. But after that hot start, the game just kind of went away from him in the second and third, where the shot attempts and touches disappeared for a while. But as the game got tight in the fourth, involvement returned. A nice steal and dunk, a putback slam, and a trip to the line was just the start. He knocked down three straight triples in clutch time, reviving not only his scoring, but the building.

2. An interesting trait of the Miami Heat's second unit.

Jan 13, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) drives to the basket against Phoenix Suns forward Ryan Dunn (0) during the first quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

It makes things a lot easier for the Heat's youthful second unit when the starters set a tone, which is what they did tonight. Jaime Jaquez Jr, Pelle Larsson, Nikola Jovic, and Kel'el Ware enter shortly after, while they flicker the fifth between Davion Mitchell and Norman Powell. Especially in the Mitchell stretch, one thing is clear: that unit is going to get downhill over and over and over again. Larsson and Jaquez Jr constantly working one-on-one attacks from the wings and corners, and found success often to extend that first half lead. Mitchell played bully ball on Collin Gillespie and Nikola Jovic was on-ball a ton even though turnovers crept in. Either way, if Miami can figure out the main stuff, this second unit has an identity and some fun youth to it.

3. The third quarter problem.

Jan 13, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra reacts against the Phoenix Suns during the first quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

I mentioned that 17 point halftime lead, but as you would expect, that wasn't the case for long. When asked prior to the game about the main problem over these last three losses, Erik Spoelstra pointed toward the third quarters. He even went into detail that it happened around the six minute mark each night, which takes us to tonight: history repeats itself. By the end of the third quarter, the game was tied as the Suns made a strong run as the Heat's offense stalled and the defense slowed up. Third quarters have never been a strength for the Heat, but this has been a real trend that's actively hurting them in key parts of the game. They escaped in exciting fashion tonight, but still something to take to the film room.