In a Wednesday night loss, the Miami Heat were unsuccessful in capturing a road victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. However, the Heat will attempt to bounce back on Friday, hosting the Indiana Pacers in their first matchup of the 2020-21 season.
The teams will hold all three of their regular season matchups during the month of March. Following Friday’s game, they’ll play each other again on Sunday.
This leaves their final matchup to be held on March 31st. With a five-game winning streak (winning 11 out of last 13) coming to an end, we should see a somewhat rested Heat squad on Friday night.
Head Coach Erik Spoelstra gave admission of his team’s sluggish play being a deciding factor in the loss, as he spoke during Wednesday’s postgame interview:
"“I am encouraged by our competitive spirit, playing a game in the mud,” Heat’s 13-year coach told Fox Sports Florida. “Possession game, down the stretch, everything did matter.”"
Heading into Friday’s matchup, the Heat face yet another solid defensive team in Indiana. The Pacers currently rank:
- 3rd in Blocks Per Game (5.9)
- 11th in Defensive Rating (111.6)
- 16th in Opponent Field Goal Percentage (41.3%)
The Miami Heat should be ready for them though.