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The Miami Heat are back below just under the .500 mark as they drop another game in their season against the (17-16) Indiana Pacers. The Pacers were seeking revenge from a game earlier this month in which the Heat won 87-82 on the road. The Heat had three key players returning to the lineup after their short lived hiatuses: Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin, and Jimmy Butler. The Pacers were without Daniel Theis who is still recovering from a knee surgery that took place early November, Kendall Brown (stress reaction in tibia), and Aaron Nesmith who was listed as day-to-day.
For most of this game the Heat were playing behind as the Indiana Pacers led for a total of 32:15 minutes with a lead as large as 12 coming later in the game. To start off the Heat appeared to be sluggish offensively as the first quarter saw them shoot 47% from the field and 20% from the perimeter while Indiana had very efficient shooting (57% from the field and 54% from three). The Heat took it up a notch as in the second quarter they were able to retake the lead shooting 50% from the field and 66% from three while holding the Pacers to 42% from the field and 45% from three. In the third quarter Miami was able to jump out to a 15-10 run which helped them extend the lead to 75-68 before Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers decided enough was enough as they responded with a 16-5 run of their own. Heading into the fourth the score was once again in favor for the Pacers as they were up 84-82.
To open the final quarter of play, the Pacers continued to thrive off the momentum that they had built late in the third quarter, as they jumped out to a 16-4 run with the score up to 100-88. The Heat were able to string together another response: Going on a 15-6 run with under 5 minutes to go allowing them to tie up the game at 108 with a clutch three from Tyler Herro with 15 seconds left on the clock. However, Friday’s matchup was truly just Haliburton’s night as he exploded for 43 points and was able to hit the game winning shot with just 5 seconds to go. Haliburton’s game winner was a heartbreaker as the Heat didn’t have much time to respond with a look of their own as they were without timeouts. The Pacers were able to steal one on the road winning 111-108 as they put a stop to the Heat’s late game rally.
The Miami Heat’s main core played well collectively as Herro led the way with 28 points, Kyle Lowry with 21 points, Jimmy Butler with 20 points, and Bam Adebayo with 18 points and 7 rebounds.
As aforementioned, Haliburton led the Pacers with his 43 points while receiving help from guys such as: Buddy Hield with 21 points, Jalen Smith adding 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Andrew Nembhard with 10 points of his own.
What’s Next?
The Miami Heat (16-17) will continue on with their 4 game homestand as the (16-17) Minnesota Timberwolves will come into town. The Heat will not only look to tie up their homestand series after dropping games to the Bulls and Pacers but to get back in the eastern conference race as they are now the 9th seed. The Timberwolves have similar aspirations heading into Monday night’s matchup as they are 10th seed out west. On the season, the Timberwolves are averaging 114.8 points per game while allowing 115.7 making them the 9th worst defensive team in the league. Unfortunately, health has been a major concern this season for the Heat as Jimmy Butler’s status for this matchup will be in question as he suffered an ankle injury against the Pacers.
For more News about the Miami Heat visit: www.miamiheat.com
