Game Rewind: Pacers 87, Heat 99 (Game 4)

The Pacers' 2019-20 season came to an end on Monday night in Orlando, as the Miami Heat held on for a 99-87 victory to seal a 4-0 sweep in the first-round playoff series.

It was a disappointing end to another strong season for Indiana, which finished the regular season in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, but struggled in the postseason without All-Star forward Domantas Sabonis, who did not play in the bubble due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot, and one-time starter Jeremy Lamb, who underwent season-ending knee surgery in the spring.

"Once you get into the playoffs, you need everybody," Pacers head coach Nate McMillan said. "You're playing against the best. Coming down to this bubble, I thought we had everybody...and Domas got injured and wasn't able to play in any of these games. It was just a tough adjustment for us."

The Blue & Gold competed until the bitter end on Monday, but — as was the case all series — could not make enough plays to overcome a fourth-quarter deficit.

The Pacers trailed 91-81 with under four minutes to play on Monday before Victor Oladipo drove and kicked to T.J. Warren. Warren swished a three on the left wing and drew a foul on Jimmy Butler. The four-point play pulled the Pacers within six with 3:36 remaining.

After a timeout, the Pacers forced three Miami misses, but each time the Heat collected an offensive rebound. Tyler Herro made Indiana pay on the third one, converting a layup to push the margin back to eight.

"It's just real deflating when you work that hard for a possession defensively and they keep getting opportunities," Pacers center Myles Turner said of the crucial sequence.

"We've got to bring the intensity we bring for 48 minutes and not just parts of the game."

Two Oladipo foul shots at 1:58 made it 93-87. But Goran Dragic converted a layup with 1:14 left to effectively seal the victory.

Oladipo led all scorers with 25 points, going 5-for-11 from 3-point range, eight rebounds, five assists, and five steals.

Turner added 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting, 14 rebounds, and five blocks, while Warren chipped in 21 points, five rebounds, and four assists.

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Oladipo scored five quicks points on Monday as Indiana jumped out to an early 8-3 lead, but Miami responded with nine unanswered points.

The first quarter featured five ties and six lead changes, but Malcolm Brogdon hit a leaning jumper from the baseline just before the quarter buzzer to give the Pacers a 22-21 lead heading into the second quarter.

There were three more ties and three more lead changes in the opening minutes of the next frame before Miami reeled off an 8-0 run to seize control.

Butler, the Heat's All-Star forward, played just six minutes in the first half due to a left shoulder strain. So Miami turned to rookie guard Kendrick Nunn for his first minutes of the series. Nunn knocked down a 3-pointer while Kelly Olynyk scored the other five points during the Heat's surge.

Miami led by as many as nine points, but Oladipo hit a three to close out the half and trim the Blue & Gold's deficit to 48-42 at the break.

Butler returned to start the second half and it seemingly gave the Heat a boost, as they opened the third quarter with a 12-5 spurt.

Indiana trailed by as many as 13, but showed signs of life midway through the third quarter. Warren got to the rim for a layup, then Oladipo and Brogdon hit 3-pointers on the next two possessions.

Just before the end of the quarter, Dragic missed a 3-pointer but followed his own shot and converted a buzzer-beating layup — just Miami's second field goal over the final 6:18 of the quarter — to give the Heat a 70-62 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Despite five points from Turner and a four-point play from Brogdon, Miami was able to extend its lead to as high as 11 points.

The Pacers made shots, but they struggled to contain Dragic on the other end. The 34-year-old point guard scored 10 points in the first 6:06 of the fourth quarter to thwart any threat of a rally.

"They just made big plays down the stretch," Oladipo said. "...Credit them. They played four great games, they won four different ways. We've got to do a better job (and) use this as fuel for the offseason. I know I plan to do that."

Brogdon was the fourth and final Pacer to reach double figures, finishing with 13 points, four rebounds, and seven assists.

Dragic led Miami with 23 points, Herro scored 16 off the bench, while Bam Adebayo added 14 points, 19 boards, and six assists.

The Heat will advance to the second round, where they will meet the winner of the series between top-seeded Milwaukee and eighth-seeded Orlando. The Bucks currently hold a 3-1 lead in that series.

The Pacers, meanwhile, will depart the NBA bubble in Orlando on Tuesday and head into an uncertain offseason. The league has not yet committed to a firm start date for the 2020-21 season due to the unique circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oladipo's 25 points were his most in 10 games since the season restart on Aug. 1 and his second-most this season (he scored 27 against Boston on March 10 in Indiana's last game before the hiatus).

Turner recorded his second straight double-double. He set playoff career highs for points (22) and rebounds (14) and tied his playoff career high for blocks, swatting five shots for the third time in a postseason contest.

For the first time all series, the Pacers made and attempted more 3-pointers than Miami on Monday. Indiana outscored the Heat by 18 points from beyond the arc, going 14-for-37 from long range while Miami was just 8-for-30.

The Heat outscored Indiana 50-30 in points in the paint.

The Pacers got just three bench points on Monday. Miami's reserves combined for 41, with both Herro and Olynyk reaching double figures.

After Miami attempted 52 free throws in Game 3, neither team got to the line much in Game 4. Indiana went 7-for-11 from the charity stripe, while the Heat were 11-for-14.

"I saw two teams that (were) exhausted. I thought we came out and showed some fight in that first quarter. Both teams just seemed to have heavy legs the entire night. They were stronger than us tonight." -McMillan

"Right now my main focus is getting healthy. Getting 100 percent healthy internally and externally and coming back next year a different human being. That's the only thing I'm focused on." -Oladipo

"It's always a challenge coming back from injury and trying to get your rhythm and — as Victor has tried to do — fit in with a team...I think next year he will be stronger, more confident, and better." -McMillan on Oladipo's return to the court this season

"I felt like from game in and game out, I was slowly but surely building the rhythm of the game, but I've got to just keep building the strength and the trust in my quad. I'm close, but I'm not there yet." -Oladipo on how he feels physically after playing in the restart

"I think our culture, we never give up...But at some point, you've got to get over the hump. This is five years, five first-round exits for me personally. I take that (stat) personally." -Turner

Miami outrebounded the Pacers 60-34 overall and 17-5 on the offensive glass in Game 4. It was the largest margin by which Indiana was outrebounded all season.