Giannis Speaks Out on 'Trust' with Bam, Heat After Blowout Win vs. James Harden, Cavs

Miami Heat forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is encouraged by how his on-court dynamic with Bam Adebayo is trending and the improved play by the team as a whole following Friday's 133-121 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Antetokounmpo praised improved "trust" that he has with Adebayo as they continue to learn each other's style.

"We're making progress in trust. We need to keep doing our work quietly, humbly," Antetokounmpo said. "There's still a lot of work to be done. We're not even close. Still a lot of work to be done."

Antetokounmpo was also very complimentary toward Adebayo for his "aggressive" play against Cleveland.

"Bam played great, aggressive, got to his spots. I did the same," he said. "Every game will look differently. There will be times like tonight where we will overpower other bigs, but we can't force it."

Cavaliers-Heat Highlights

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Antetokounmpo and Adebayo both scored 37 points on Friday night, accounting for 57 percent of the Heat's total scoring output. They also combined for 23 rebounds and five assists.

The 37 points for Adebayo were his most in a game since his 83-point outing against the Washington Wizards last season.

Miami's 133 points were its second-most in a game this season. The Heat have also won three straight and four of their last five to reach the .500 mark (6-6) for the first time all season.

They also held Cleveland's backcourt duo of James Harden and Donovan Mitchell to 14-of-35 shooting from the field.

Antetokounmpo is a 10-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA player, two-time NBA MVP and 2020-21 NBA champion. He spent his first 13 seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks before they traded him to the Heat on July 6.

Even though Antetokounmpo's individual numbers have been strong with his new team, including 28.5 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, it hasn't translated into as many wins as the Heat were hoping for at this point.

It's still very early in the season and Friday was an indication the duo of Antetokounmpo and Adebayo, as well as head coach Erik Spoelstra, are starting to piece things together.

This level of dominance between the two of them was the hope for Miami after bringing in Antetokounmpo. It is also necessary because the Heat gave up a lot of quality depth from their rotation in the trade.

If the victory over the Cavs leads to more positive play between Antetokounmpo and Adebayo, the Heat can put themselves squarely in the mix with the other top teams in the Eastern Conference.

We will find out how far the Heat have come very soon because they will host the Detroit Pistons (8-3) in the second night of a back-to-back on Saturday night.