Monday, Dec. 12 at 7:00 PM ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Game Preview
On to the next one.
Coming off perhaps their most disappointing loss of the season, the Indiana Pacers (14-13) aim to bounce back against the Miami Heat (12-15) on Monday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Blue & Gold fell to the Brooklyn Nets – which sat eight players, including their top seven scorers – 136-133 Saturday.
Outside of the most recent Nets game, the Blue & Gold otherwise have put together some of their best performances of the season in Indianapolis.
Indiana has played well at home while the Heat have struggled on the road. The Pacers are 8-5 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and the Heat are 3-9 in away games.
The Pacers beat the Heat 101-99 on Nov. 4 in Indianapolis, but the visitors were missing six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler.
Butler, who averages 35 minutes, is putting up 21.3 points on 51.4 percent shooting, seven rebounds, six assists and just under two steals per game this season
After Butler, Heat center Bam Adebayo has averaged 20.8 points and 9.2 rebounds while forward Tyler Herro, the reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year, is averaging 20.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
Miami will also have another player available that didn’t play in the first game against the Pacers: Victor Oladipo. Due to injuries, Oladpio has not played against his former team since being traded during the 2020-21 season.
Against the Nets, the Pacers failed to get the job done on the glass.
Brooklyn dominated the paint against Indiana, outscoring the Pacers 72-42 inside while winning the rebounding margin 59-30 – including pulling down 29 offensive rebounds, which is the most in an NBA game in seven years.
In the loss, Tyrese Haliburton scored 35 points on 12 of 15 shooting, including 7-for-8 from 3-point range. Seven Pacers finished in double-digit scoring, the second time that's happened this season.
The Heat enter the game against the Pacers coming off a 115-111 Saturday loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
Miami had six players score in double figures against the Spurs, led by 30 points from Butler and 23 by Herro.
The Spurs overcame 18 turnovers by shooting 53.8 percent against the Heat while also winning the rebounding margin 46-32.
After taking on the Heat, the Pacers will conclude their four-game homestand against the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. The Pacers beat the Warriors 112-104 on Dec. 5 in San Francisco.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G - Tyrese Haliburton, G - Andrew Nembhard, F - Buddy Hield, F - Jalen Smith, C - Myles Turner
Heat: G - Kyle Lowry, G - Tyler Herro, F - Jimmy Butler, F - Caleb Martin, C - Bam Adebayo
Injury Report
Pacers: Chris Duarte - out (left ankle sprain), Daniel Theis - out (right knee surgery)
Heat: Jimmy Butler - probable (right knee injury management), Tyler Herro - probable (left ankle sprain), Victor Oladipo - probable (left knee tendinosis), Duncan Robinson - probable (left ankle sprain), Max Strus - probable (right shoulder impingement), Dewayne Dedmon - questionable (left foot plantar fasciitis), Nikola Jovic - out (G League assignment), Gabe Vincent - out (left knee effusion), Omer Yurtseven - out (left ankle surgery)
Last Meeting
Nov. 4, 2022: Indiana held off a late Miami comeback in a 101-99 victory over the Heat at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Hield scored 22 points in the first half to give the Pacers a 12-point cushion at intermission, but the Heat stormed back in the second half to tie the game at 94 with 5:35 left in the game.
Up 100-97 with 10 seconds left, Turner came up with a massive block to give the ball back to the Blue & Gold. After rookie Bennedict Mathurin split free throws, the Heat went down the floor and a 3-point try by Herro missed at the buzzer.
Hield topped the Pacers with 25 points while pulling down nine rebounds, Mathurin scored 23 points, and Halibuton totaled 22 points, nine assists and nine rebounds.
Herro led all scorers with 29 points and Adebayo finished with 18 points to go along with 10 rebounds.
Indiana’s bench came up big, outsourcing the Heat’s reserves 38-19
Miami shot 38.3 percent (11-for-39 3-point) to the Pacers’ 46.3 percent (12-for-39 3-point). The Heat were perfect from the free throw line, making all 26 tries, while the Pacers made 15 of 23 attempts.
Noteworthy
- Pacers second-year guard Chris Duarte suffered a sprained ankle in the Nov. 4 game against the Heat. The injury has sidelined him since.
- The last time Oladipo played against the Pacers was in February 2017 as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was on the Blue & Gold from later in 2017 until being traded in early 2021.
- Haliburton leads the NBA with 274 total assists in 25 games played. Last year, Haliburton had 628 assists in 58 games played.
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), Pat Boylan (studio host)
Tickets
The Pacers continue their homestand on Monday, Dec. 12 at 7:00 PM ET against Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat. Find Tickets >>