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.
Miami Heat And Pacers Renew Rivalry: A Bit Of Recent History
The last time Miami and Indiana met was during the 2020 NBA Playoffs, where they swept the Pacers in four games. The expectations for that series were extremely high, dating way back to January 8th of 2020, where the incident took place between T.J. Warren and Jimmy Butler.
For the duration of the 2020 NBA bubble period, the Pacers were without versatile rising star big man, Domantas Sabonis, due to a foot issue. Sabonis was rumored to return to the lineup during the series against Miami, but he was ultimately held out for precautionary measures.
As the Heat have kept their core intact, the Pacers have made a few moves. Apart of a four-team blockbuster trade centered around NBA all-star and former MVP, James Harden, the Pacers dealt Victor Oladipo to the Houston Rockets while receiving a 2023 second round draft pick — and a big, skilled, 26 year-old guard in Caris LeVert from the Brooklyn Nets.
LeVert, who missed 26 games this season due to a left kidney issue, finally made his Pacers debut this past Sunday. Since being back, he’s averaging 16.3 points per game, four rebounds, three assists, and 1.7 steals per game on 41% shooting from the field and 33% from the arc (3 games).
In Oladipo’s place, the former Net will look to provide a consistent scoring ability while, hopefully, staying healthy. LeVert can score at all-three levels and isn’t afraid of the clutch opportunities.
Even if he’s only played in a few games since his return, Miami must expect LeVert to look for his offense. He shares the backcourt with Malcolm Brogdon, a 21.7 points and six assist per contest guy himself, who is also having the best season of his career.
Miami Heat And Pacers Renew Rivalry: Needs On Friday and Expectations
The Pacers will be without T.J. Warren (you wouldn’t think Jimmy’s very happy about this one), who only played in four games before suffering a foot-injury in late December. Warren was Indiana’s leading scorer a year ago at 19.8 points per, but in his absence the mantle quickly shifted over to Sabonis, who rightfully earned his first All-Star selection this year.
Myles Turner is having yet another sensational year on the defensive end and has solidified himself as one of the league’s premier rim protectors. He’s made a solid case for All-NBA Defensive honors as well.
Currently, Turner is leading the NBA in blocks at 3.7, as he’s closing in to accomplish such a feat for the second time in his six-year career. Heat big men Bam Adebayo and Kelly Olynyk are set for an intriguing matchup on Friday.
Here are a few keys to a Miami Heat win on Friday:
- KEEP IT GOING BUTLER! – Heat star, Jimmy Butler, had 24 points on Wednesday, has been a terror over the last few games, and must continue to be aggressive on the offensive end, as he creates offense for himself and for others.
- CLOSE OUT ON THEM! – During Wednesday’s loss to Memphis, the Heat allowed 42 three point attempts from the Grizzlies. Even though Memphis converted just 10 of those attempts (23.8%), Miami cannot overcommit on rotations against Indiana.
- CRASH THE BOARDS! – The Heat must take advantage of the Pacers’ lack of rebounding, as Indiana currently sits 30th in total rebounds at only 1617, in total, this season. The Heat aren’t great rebounders but this is a matchup that they can finally exploit in that area.
- OVER 15 MINUTES! – Although it likely won’t be done, it’s be nice to see Coach Spo go deeper into his rotation, giving more minutes to younger players such as Precious Achiuwa and Max Strus. Over 15 minutes of action for the pair, a piece, might be ideal in what figures to be a rock fight between two tough defensive teams.
For a final score prediction, it should go to the Miami Heat, by a score of 109-94. Either way, we should be in for an interesting trio of contests.