Erik Spoelstra praises 'smart' Giannis Antetokounmpo as Heat finally win

Who were the other guys Erik Spoelstra meant?

Bam Adebayo matched Antetokounmpo with a season-high 24 points and added nine rebounds, enough to pass Udonis Haslem for the most rebounds in franchise history. Adebayo had averaged 11.8 points and 7.3 rebounds through the first four games, and after Monday's loss to the Dallas Mavericks he made clear he had heard the criticism.

"You know, it's funny how the outside noise wants to make me the scapegoat. But when the tables turn, just all that energy, when the energy shifts, just be prepared for that," Adebayo said on Monday.

On Wednesday, he scored 13 of his points in the first half on 5-of-9 shooting and added nine more in the third quarter to keep Atlanta at a distance. The rest of the scoring spread wide: Andrew Wiggins had 18, Pelle Larsson 17, Tim Hardaway Jr. 14 off the bench, Bobby Portis Jr. 11 and Davion Mitchell posted 10 points and 10 assists. Miami shot 53.% from the field, made 11-of-29 three-pointers and outscored the Hawks 70-52 in the paint.

In Saturday's 115-110 loss to the Charlotte Hornets, Antetokounmpo scored 14 points on 4-of-11 shooting in 25 minutes and fouled out.

Four losses in, the questions about this trade were about fit, and about who would be left holding the blame. Wednesday gave Spoelstra a night where his two best players each finished with 24 points and neither had to carry the other.

It was an important first step for the Heat, who will look to put the concerning start to the season behind them.