Game Recap
It wasn't exactly a playoff preview, but the Pacers took care of business against the Heat on Friday afternoon in the final regular season game for both teams.
Both teams rested several key players ahead of Tuesday's series opener, but Indiana (45-28) showcased its depth, as six players scored in double figures in a 109-92 victory over Miami (44-29).
With the win, the Pacers secured the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, meaning they will be the designated "home" team when Indiana and Miami open their best-of-seven series next week.
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Doug McDermott led Indiana with 23 points in the win, going 8-for-16 from the field and 5-for-11 from 3-point range. Malcolm Brogdon, the only regular Pacers starter in the lineup on Friday, added 16 points in 25 minutes, going 4-for-7 from beyond the arc while also tallying six rebounds and six assists.
Second-year forward Alize Johnson got his first career start on Friday and responded with his first double-double, collecting 11 points and 17 rebounds (seven on the offensive glass) to go along with four assists.
"He did what he always does," Pacers head coach Nate McMillan said of Johnson's career night. "He's been in the G League a lot for us, but he has always been a guy that rebounds the ball. He plays a lot bigger than he is down there and I thought tonight he did a great job of going after the ball."
The Pacers rested starters Victor Oladipo, Myles Turner, and T.J. Warren, while Miami elected to sit Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Jae Crowder, and Goran Dragic.
After both teams got off to a sluggish start, Indiana used a 15-0 run to surge out to a 21-7 lead. Brogdon got the offense rolling early, tallying five points, three rebounds, and three assists (including two dishes to Justin Holiday for 3-pointers) in his first eight minutes of action.
The Blue & Gold held the Heat to just 5-for-23 shooting in the first quarter as the Pacers took a commanding 28-13 lead after one.
McDermott got it rolling early in the second quarter. The sharpshooter converted layups at 10:51 and 10:21, then buried a 3-pointer off a dish from T.J. McConnell at 9:54 to push Indiana's lead to 19.
The Pacers led by as many as 21 points in the first half. The Heat managed to whittle a few points off that deficit, but still trailed 58-44 at the break.
Brogdon knocked down a three and threw a beautiful full-court dish to Edmond Sumner for a breakaway layup plus a foul as Indiana opened the second half with eight straight points.
Tyler Herro helped the Heat mount a bit of a run, scoring 14 points and hitting three 3-pointers in the third quarter, but the Blue & Gold maintained a double-digit advantage throughout the frame, taking an 84-70 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Heat never mounted a serious charge over the final 12 minutes as the Pacers closed out the regular season with a win.
Justin Holiday finished with 11 points and seven rebounds for Indiana while going 3-for-5 from 3-point range. Younger brother Aaron Holiday also tallied 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting and three steals, while JaKarr Sampson added 10 points and four rebounds.
Kendrick Nunn led the Heat with 23 points, but went just 8-for-26 from the field. Former Pacer Solomon Hill added 21 points, seven rebounds, and three assists off the bench, while Herro finished with 16 points.
The game took a serious turn when Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. went down with an apparent neck injury after colliding with Pacers center Goga Bitadze on a screen with 1:05 remaining in the third quarter. Jones remained down for several minutes before eventually being immobilized and carted off the floor on a stretcher.
The Heat said after the game Jones was undergoing an MRI and CT scan.
The Pacers and Heat will meet again for Game 1 on Tuesday at 4:00 PM ET. That game will be televised locally on FOX Sports Indiana and nationally on TNT.
"I'm excited to compete at the highest level," Justin Holiday said of the upcoming series. "Not everybody's going to be able to play in these games. Not every team gets the opportunity to get to make it to the playoffs.
"This is what we play for, to be in this position and to have the chance to win a championship. I'm so thankful and blessed to be a part of this organization."
Inside the Numbers
The Pacers held Miami to a .356 field goal percentage on Friday, the fourth-worst shooting percentage by a Pacers opponent this season.
After going a combined 7-for-48 from 3-point range over the first six seeding games, McDermott and Justin Holiday went 15-for-27 from beyond the arc over their final two regular season games.
Indiana outscored Miami 46-36 in points in the paint, 18-11 in second chance points, and 13-2 on the fastbreak.
The Pacers had 32 assists on 43 field goals. Miami had just 14 assists.
Turnovers were an issue for both teams. Indiana had 20 giveaways, while the Heat had 19.
You Can Quote Me On That
"I thought our guys came out and played a solid game defensively as well as offensively...We had 32 assists, we had really good ball movement...It was a good effort by guys who you never know when your name is going to be called." -McMillan on Friday's win
"He's the glue to the team. He's been the glue I would say probably starting mid-season when we had so many injuries. He's had to do a number of things, play the 2, the 3, the 4, start...His basketball IQ is very high so we're able to make those adjustments on the floor." -McMillan on Justin Holiday
"Every time I get on that basketball court I play to win. That's just how I see it. That's the last game of the regular season. That's a game we're trying to win regardless of who's playing, who's out there, or if we see this team again." -Justin Holiday on the perception of Friday's game as "meaningless"
"We're so happy for him, man. He works his butt off day in and day out. He's a great teammate, just an awesome guy all around. It's great to see all his hard work pay off. He's made that grind, that drive to Fort Wayne after some of our late games, and he comes back full of energy the next day." -McDermott on Johnson's career night
Stat of the Night
Johnson recorded new career highs for points (11), rebounds (17), offensive rebounds (seven), assists (four), and minutes played (38) on Friday.
Noteworthy
- Justin Holiday finished the regular season as the only Pacers player to appear in all 73 games. He has appeared in every game in three of his last four NBA seasons.
- With Friday's win, the Pacers avoided being swept by the Heat in the regular season series. Miami had won previously on Dec. 27 in Miami, on Jan. 8 in Indianapolis, and on Monday in Orlando.
- The Heat started 40-year-old forward Udonis Haslem on Friday. The 17-year-veteran has spent his entire career in Miami but Friday's game was just his fourth appearance this season. He finished with seven points on 3-of-5 shooting and eight rebounds in 23:31.
Up Next
The Pacers and Heat will meet again in Game 1 of their first-round series on Tuesday, Aug. 18 at 4:00 PM ET.