Game Rewind: Pacers 104, Heat 113

Both the Pacers and the Heat were without key players on Friday night. But it was Miami (14-9) that prevailed at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in the battle of undermanned teams, defeating Indiana (9-16), 113-104.

The loss was the fourth straight for the Pacers, a streak which includes three defeats at home.

Though they were without All-Stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, the Heat hit 16 3-pointers en route to a double-digit victory. The trio of Kyle Lowry, Duncan Robinson, and Tyler Herro did the heavy lifting for Miami, combining for 13 threes and 68 points in the victory.

Caris LeVert led the Pacers with a season-high 27 points in the loss, going 8-for-16 from the field and 10-for-11 from the free throw line. Myles Turner added 20 points and three blocks.

The Pacers were without starting forward Justin Holiday (health and safety protocols) and backup point guard T.J. McConnell (right wrist injury), but the Heat were just as, if not more, banged up.

"I had talked about putting our footprint on the game and asserting ourselves (yesterday at practice)," Turner said. "We failed to do that. They took full advantage of that in the first quarter. They hit first. We didn't have the proper fight that we needed to win this game. That's way too late and it's unacceptable to be honest with you."

LeVert got off to a fast start for Indiana on Friday, hitting his first four shots and scoring nine of Indiana's first 13 points. But the Heat were just as hot collectively, hitting six of their first seven 3-pointers.

Robinson hit the first trey, Lowry made two while scoring the next eight points, then Robinson, Lowry, and Herro hit the next three triples in order to help the Heat race out to a 26-15 lead. A four-point play by Robinson shortly thereafter pushed Miami's lead to 30-17 with 3:19 remaining in the opening frame.

The Pacers mounted a charge to close the quarter, as Jeremy Lamb and Kelan Martin hit threes and Oshae Brissett added a reverse layup during an 8-2 Indiana run to trim the deficit to 32-25 entering the second quarter.

The Blue & Gold climbed within four early into the ensuing period following back-to-back baskets by LeVert and Chris Duarte. But Lowry drilled yet another 3-pointer — his fourth of the first half — during an 8-1 Miami run that pushed the lead back to 47-36.

The Pacers slowly whittled away at the score over the next several minutes. Malcolm Brogdon connected with Domantas Sabonis on a beautiful drive and drop for a two-hand slam to make it a 55-53 game with 2:22 remaining.

But Lowry answered with a bucket on the other end, the start of a 7-2 Heat run to close the half and give the visitors a 62-55 lead heading into the locker room.

Indiana got within three twice in the third quarter, but Miami responded with a 10-2 run on the second occasion, capped by another Robinson three that extended the Heat's lead back to 86-75. Miami maintained that margin at the end of the frame, taking a 92-81 advantage into the fourth quarter.

The two teams traded baskets to open the final frame before the Heat reeled off seven straight — capped by Lowry's sixth three — to extend the lead to 101-83 with 9:04 to play. That stretch seemingly put the game on ice, as the Blue & Gold never seriously threatened the rest of the way.

The Pacers mounted one last charge. After trailing 108-88 with 5:36 to play, the Blue & Gold reeled off nine straight points and had multiple chances to get within single digits, but Gabe Vincent's layup with 1:52 left broke a nearly four-minute scoreless stretch for Miami and crushed any lingering comeback hopes.

"It's an attitude and it's a disposition and it's a posture," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of the team's struggles. "I love the way we played in the last five minutes of the game. We just were defiantly competitive...We need more of that."

Duarte finished with 15 points, four rebounds, and two steals in the loss. Sabonis recorded a double-double with 14 points and 16 boards, while Brogdon also reached double figures with 14 points and seven assists.

Lowry led the Heat with 26 points and nine assists, going 6-for-13 from 3-point range. Robinson added 24 points on 7-of-11 shooting (4-of-6 from beyond the arc), while Herro tallied 18 points and five rebounds.

The Pacers will continue a six-game homestand next week, with games on Monday against Washington, Wednesday against New York, and Friday against Dallas.

LeVert's 27 points were four more than he scored last Sunday against Milwaukee, his previous season high. His 10 free throws made and 11 attempted were also season highs.

Sabonis recorded his 18th double-double in the loss and his seventh in his last eight games.

The Heat outscored Indiana 50-38 in points in the paint.

The Pacers set a season high with 33 free throw attempts and matched their best with 25 free throws made.

Lowry, Robinson, and Herro went a combined 13-for-24 from 3-point range.

"We messed up from the jump. We let the other team get comfortable and get in that rhythm. That's what got them going and then it's hard to stop." -Duarte

"The zone was definitely a factor in the third quarter. They kind of stifled us a little bit, we got stagnant, we couldn't get good shots...We've just got to be aggressive. We've got to attack it." -LeVert on Miami deploying primarily a zone defense

"I feel like the energy's there. You see all the emotion that's going on, trying to get it going. It's just the game. Some days are not good, some days are good. We've just got to stick together and keep playing and try to bounce back." -Duarte

"It's a lot of time to fix our mistakes, but we've got to do it. It's a lot of talk about what we need to do. Everybody knows what we need to do, but I think it's time for us individually to look in the mirror." -LeVert

"You can have all these defensive schemes, you can pull the starters, this, this, and that. It comes down to us (players). We're the ones on the floor. It starts with the leaders — me, Malcolm, Domas, the ones that have been here. We've just got to find a way. I can't give you a magic answer or what not. We have to find a way to ---- win." -Turner

Miami outscored the Pacers by 21 points from 3-point range. The Heat went 15-for-31 (47.1 percent) from beyond the arc, while the Pacers were 9-for-36 (25 percent).

The Pacers continue their six-game homestand on Monday, Dec. 6 at 7:00 PM ET, when they welcome Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards to Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Find Tickets »