Game Preview: Pacers vs Heat

Sunday, April 7 at 5:00 PM ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

There's still a week remaining in the regular season, but Sunday's game between the Pacers and Heat at Gainbridge Fieldhouse has massive stakes in the Eastern Conference playoff race and will go a long way in determining whether the Blue & Gold secure a top-six seed and an automatic playoff berth or have to go through the Play-In Tournament.

Indiana (44-34) and Miami (43-34) are separated by just half a game in the standings, with the Pacers currently holding on to the sixth and final playoff spot. The two teams split a pair of games in Miami on Nov. 30 and Dec. 2, so not only will the winner of Sunday's game be in sixth place, they'll also have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the other team. Moreover, the winner would also come out on top in a three-way tiebreaker involving the Pacers, Heat, and Philadelphia (currently in eighth place at 43-35).

Because of those tiebreakers, while the winner of Sunday's game will only be a game up on the other in the loss column, they will effectively have a two-game lead entering the final week of the regular season.

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Both teams are coming off of wins on Friday night. The Pacers handled their business against an undermanned Oklahoma City team, with six players reaching double figures in a 126-112 victory. Pascal Siakam scored an efficient 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting, while T.J. McConnell had a double-double off the bench with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

The Heat, meanwhile, picked up a 119-104 win over the Rockets in Miami. Jimmy Butler led the way with 22 points, while Bam Adebayo added 18 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists. In an important development for Miami, sharpshooting guard Tyler Herro returned to the lineup after being out since Feb. 23 with knee and foot injuries. The NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2022, Herro had 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting, five boards, and six assists in 25 minutes off the bench in his return on Friday.

Sunday's matchup will be one of contrasting styles.The Pacers play at the second-fastest pace in the NBA, while the Heat are the third-slowest team in the league. Indiana is second in offensive rating, scoring 120 points per 100 possessions, while the Heat are fourth in defensive rating at 111.5.

On the other end, Aaron Nesmith will likely be tasked with guarding Butler, who averages 21 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists. Defending without fouling will be key, as Butler gets to the free throw line for nearly eight attempts per night.

Butler leads the Miami attack, but the Heat have several other weapons. Adebayo is a two-way force, averaging 19.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Terry Rozier has averaged 16.8 points and 4.7 assists in 30 games since being acquired from Charlotte at the trade deadline. Duncan Robinson contributes 13.1 points per game, taking seven threes a night and knocking them down at a 40-percent clip. And now Herro is back. Though injuries have limited him to 37 games, he's averaging 20.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game and shooting 39.7 percent from beyond the arc.

For their part, the Pacers know how important Sunday's game is to their playoff aspirations. The Play-In Tournament isn't a death sentence — just last year the Heat came out of the Play-In and advanced all the way to the NBA Finals — but the Pacers would greatly prefer to avoid it if they can and secure the highest possible seed (mathematically, they could still finish as high as second and could easily move up to fourth or fifth if they win their final four games and couple other results break their way).

"Every single game matters," Siakam said heading into Sunday's showdown. "Every possession, we've got to go out, give it everything we got. At the end of the day, it's just about going out there and hooping. We've got to be the hardest-playing team.

"We know the energy that they're going to have, knowing the type of team that they are, they're going to come in ready and we've got to do the same. It's going to be fun. We've got to enjoy it. You want to be in those situations."

Pacers: G - Tyrese Haliburton, G - Andrew Nembhard, F - Aaron Nesmith, F - Pascal Siakam, C - Jalen Smith

Heat: G - Terry Rozier, G - Duncan Robinson, F - Jimmy Butler, F - Nikola Jovic, C - Bam Adebayo

Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton - questionable (sore back), Jalen Smith - questionable (left ankle sprain), Bennedict Mathurin - out (right shoulder labral tear)

Heat: Orlando Robinson - questionable (sore lower back), Terry Rozier - questionable (neck stiffness), Josh Richardson - out (right shoulder surgery)

Dec. 2, 2023: Tyrese Haliburton was out with an illness, but the Pacers offense didn't miss a beat, exploding for 144 points in a 15-point victory over the Heat in Miami. The Blue & Gold shot 65.9 percent from the field and went 16-for-32 from 3-point range in the victory.

Four Pacers scored 20 or more points, led by Bruce Brown, who scored 30 on 11-of-16 shooting (4-of-6 from 3-point range). Aaron Nesmith added 22 points off the bench while also going 4-for-6 from beyond the arc, fellow reserve T.J. McConnell tallied 20 points and 11 assists, and Obi Toppin scored 20 while going 7-for-8 from the field and 4-for-5 from long distance.

Jimmy Butler led Miami with 33 points in the loss, going 12-for-23 from the field and 9-for-9 from the free throw line. Caleb Martin added 18 points, Duncan Robinson scored 17, and Orlando Robinson tallied 16.

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 (studio host)

The Pacers host Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat in a game with major playoff implications on Sunday, April 7 at 5:00 PM ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Find Tickets >>