Friday, Nov. 4 at 7:00 PM ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Game Preview
It’s good to be back in the Circle City.
With a five-game road trip behind them, the Indiana Pacers (3-5) will have home-court advantage for their next four games, starting with the Miami Heat (4-5) on Friday.
Not only will the Pacers be at home for the next four, but they’ll be at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for eight of their next 10 games on the schedule.
The Pacers went 2-3 during the recent away stretch, dropping games to the Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls before picking up a national TV win over the Washington Wizards and splitting a pair of games at the Brooklyn Nets.
On Monday, the Pacers fell to the Nets 116-109.
In the loss, second-year guard Chris Duarte, who was first inserted back into the starting lineup on Saturday after coming off the bench for four straight games, dropped a career-high 30 points on 10-for-15 shooting (5 of 10 3-pointers).
The Pacers fell behind early against the Nets, who were led by former NBA MVP Kevin Durant’s 36 points, but were able to tie the game in the fourth quarter before coming up short.
Such has been the story for much of the Pacers season, as the team has fallen behind early on multiple occasions but has roared back in the final frame regularly. Following Monday’s games, the Pacers led the entire NBA in fourth-quarter scoring with 244 points.
Indiana’s Buddy Hield continued his strong offensive start, scoring at least 20 points for the third time in his last four games by finishing with 22 points, and rookie Bennedict Mathurin reached double figures for his eighth straight game by scoring 16 points off the bench against the Nets.
Miami’s season has started up and down, but the Heat have won their last two games, including against the Sacramento Kings 110-107 on Wednesday and over the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors 116-109 on Tuesday.
In a nailbiter against the Kings, with the game tied, Heat forward Tyler Herro drained a 3-pointer with 2.7 left on the clock for the win.
Herro led all scorers with 26 points while also pulling down 12 rebounds, big man Bam Adebayo had 20 points and 11 rebounds and point guard Kyle Lowry finished with 22 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Six different Heat players finished in double-digit scoring in the game.
All-Star Heat forward Jimmy Butler, who leads the team in scoring with 21.5 points per game, missed Wednesday's game due to a left hip injury.
Miami has been without former Pacer guard Victor Oladipo this season, who has been out with a knee injury.
Thus far this season, the Heat are averaging 109.1 points per game to the Pacers’ 117.6. However, Indiana is giving up 119.9 per contest while the Heat are allowing just 110.
Last year, the Pacers won their first game against the Heat in overtime before losing to Miami twice in December.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G - Tyrese Haliburton, G - Chris Duarte, F - Buddy Hield, F - Jalen Smith, C - Myles Turner
Heat: G - Kyle Lowry, G - Tyler Herro, F - Max Strus, F - Caleb Martin, C - Bam Adebayo
Injury Report
Pacers: Aaron Nesmith - questionable (sore right foot), Daniel Theis - out (sore right knee)
Heat: Bam Adebayo - questionable (right knee contusion), Jimmy Butler - out (left hip tightness), Nikola Jovic - out (nasal contusion), Victor Oladipo - out (left knee tendonitis), Omer Yurtseven - out (left ankle impingement)
Last Meeting
Dec. 21, 2021: Miami shot hot from deep in their last outing against Indiana, tying a franchise record for 3-pointers made by hitting 22 from beyond the arc in a 125-96 victory.
The Heat built a 14-point lead in the first quarter and the Pacers weren’t able to rally from a 68-45 halftime deficit.
Herro and Duncan Robinson each scored 26 points for the Heat in the game. Robinson hit six of Miami’s 3-pointers and Herro knocked down five.
Last time out, the Heat were without starters Butler, Adebayo and P.J. Tucker.
Duarte and now-departed guard Caris LeVert each scored 17 for the Pacers and Oshae Brissett chipped in 12 points. Malcolm Brogdon, who is now with the Boston Celtics, left the game after eight minutes due to an Achilles injury.
Miami won the rebounding battle 53-42 last time out, including 15-11 on the offensive glass.
The Heat had a wildly successful end to their season, earning the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and making it all the way to the conference finals before falling to the Boston Celtics 4-3.
Noteworthy
- Block party: Pacers center Myles Turner is just five blocks away from hitting 1,000 for his career. Just Jermaine O’Neal (1,245 blocks), Rik Smits (1,111 blocks) and Herb Williams (1,094) have more blocks than Turner in Pacers history.
- Pretty good pick: Through eight games, Mathurin ranks near the top of several categories for all NBA rookies, including second in points per game (20.4 PPG), third in 3-point percentage (42.9 percent), fourth in assists (2.1 APG) and eighth in rebounds (4.3 RPG).
- Home court advantage: All-time, the Pacers lead the series with the Heat 70-53, including 48-13 at home.
Tickets
After a five-game road trip, the Pacers return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat on Friday, Nov. 4 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets >>
Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)
TV: Bally Sports Indiana - Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)