The Indiana Pacers (16-16, 7-9 Away) will try to overcome one of the league’s top scoring defenses when they travel to face the Miami Heat (16-16, 9-7 Home) on Friday. Indiana beat the Boston Celtics 117-112 at TD Garden on Wednesday.
Tyrese Haliburton was a top performer with 33 points and eight assists. The Pacers are eighth in the Eastern Conference. Miami dropped their last game on Tuesday at FTX Arena, falling to the Chicago Bulls 113-103. Bam Adebayo had 27 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists in defeat, leading the team.
The Heat are the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. The teams are meeting for the final time this season. Indiana and Miami have split their two matchups this season.
The Heat triumphed in the most recent meeting, beating the Pacers 87-82 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on December 12. Adebayo led the Heat with 22 points, 17 rebounds, and three assists. Buddy Hield had 19 points in the loss.
The Pacers have been led this season by Haliburton (20.0 ppg), Bennedict Mathurin (17.5), and Hield (17.4). Haliburton also has dished 10.6 assists per game, most in the NBA. Meanwhile, Myles Turner is grabbing 7.8 rebounds per game.
Tyler Herro and Adebayo have been the primary providers of the Heat’s offense, averaging 21.1 and 20.9 points per game, respectively. Adebayo also has posted 9.9 rebounds per game. Kyle Lowry has recorded 5.9 assists per game.
The Heat rank as one of the best scoring defenses in the NBA, fifth-best with 109.1 points per game allowed. The teams have split their last 10 clashes at FTX Arena (5-5).
In the last 10 games, Indiana is 4-6 with an average margin of -1.0 (112.3-113.3). Miami has a 6-4 record over the last 10, allowing 107.0 points per game on average while scoring only 105.7 (-1.3 margin).
PACERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Aaron Nesmith: 20.8 | 13.7 | +7.1
Jalen Smith: 12.4 | 17.9 | -5.5
Points per game:
Jalen Smith: 6.4 | 10.4 | -4.0
Rebounds per game:
Jalen Smith: 4.6 | 6.4 | -1.8
HEAT HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points per game:
Max Strus: 9.4 | 13.1 | -3.7
Rebounds per game:
Bam Adebayo: 13.8 | 9.9 | +3.9
Tyler Herro: 4.2 | 6.1 | -1.9
Assists per game:
Kyle Lowry: 4.0 | 5.9 | -1.9
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Miami Heat -6.5 (-105)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
