The Pacers are on their way to take on Miami. With the Pacers surging in some of their most recent games, Tyrese Haliburton has come back to life with some monster offensive performances. Not to be outdone, the Heat put on a clinic on Wednesday, dominating the Hawks, shooting 55% from three. This should be a great battle between two dominant offenses.
Andrew Wiggins Questionable
Bam Adebayo Questionable
Nikola Jovic Out
Benedict Mathurin Out
TJ McConnell Questionable
Haliburton might be back! He had an electric game on Wednesday against the Raptors, putting up 33 points, 11 assists, 3 boards, and 5 STOCKS all with only 1 turnover. He looked like the older Haliburton we’ve come to know. This is exactly what the Pacers have needed too. They’ve been desperate for him to up his scoring output for a while. Siakam has been holding down the fort, but if Haliburton can keep this up, this team is dangerous again.
Miami, on the other hand, has been a rollercoaster ride. The ups and downs of their team make them a challenge to bet on. Just this week, they went from shooting 17% from three to 55%, playing Atlanta in both games. It’s this inconsistency and reliance on the three-ball that’s challenging to predict. However, with Wiggins and Bam questionable for the game, they might be in trouble.
The matchup between these teams is interesting. The Pacers have the advantage if Haliburton is hitting his shots, but that’s a big IF. Herro has been a tad more consistent, but still, this game might come down to the role players. Guys like Obi Toppin, Andrew Nembhard, and Davion Mitchell will be critical in swinging the matchup.
Overall, the Pacers have the more well-rounded, healthier squad at the moment. If Haliburton can channel some of his energy from Wednesday's game, they should be able to pull this one out. It will likely be close; I’d be surprised if this was a blowout either way. So expect this one to go down to the final horn.
Money line: IND (-185) / MIA (+154)
Total Points: 224
Spread: -4 IND (-112) / +4 MIA (-108)
Even though the Heat are brutal at home. The Pacers are trending up. With Haliburton’s offense returning and a healthier roster, this group is dangerous. The Heat will have to keep up by shooting the lights out, but they’re capable of doing that. I won’t be surprised if this game goes until the buzz.
With the way Haliburton has been scoring and that last Heat game, this could be a high-scoring matchup. Especially if Bam and/or Wiggins are out this game, Miami might have to make this a foot race. The 224 makes it seem very achievable for these two teams.
Miami has been a different animal at home. Earlier this week,, they scored only 89 points in Atlanta, but they played Atlanta again in Miami and scored 131. This team can’t be underestimated in front of their home crowd.
Herro has been a challenging guy to bet on recently. He’s had a game where he makes 40 points look effortless, then others where it looks like his first time on a basketball court. With the Pacers trending up, I could see Herro struggling tonight. In their last three matchups, Herro has only had one game over 27 points. So, I expect him to have a more modest scoring night again.
We’ve seen Siakam take a step back in scoring, with Haliburton doing better. He hasn’t scored above 20 in 5 five games, and he’s only scored above 21 once this year against Miami. Especially if Bam is available tonight, the Pacers will probably opt to attack the Miami backcourt rather than toss the ball down to Siakam.
Obi has been a key player off the bench for the Pacers. However, in his last couple of games against Miami, he’s only had over 5 rebounds once. In fact, he’s only averaging 4 rebounds a game all year. Those numbers have been inching upward with more playing time, but considering his past performance against the Heat, the under with plus money looks nice.
Haliburton has been cooking lately. With 10+ assists over his last three games, he’s found his touch again. With him elevating his gameplay, he’s been able to find the open man consistently. Tonight will be no different, going against a weaker defensive backcourt in Miami.