Indiana Pacers vs Miami Heat Prediction and Odds: Pacers to edge Heat

The Indiana Pacers will be hosting the Miami Heat on Friday at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse arena. The visiting Miami Heat have lost two in a row as they suffered a huge loss on Wednesday to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Miami Heat were without their superstar Jimmy Butler against the Cavs and the Nuggets. They will miss Jimmy Butler for Friday’s game against the Pacers. The Pacers on the other hand had a hard-fought loss against the Hawks on Wednesday. The Pacers are currently in 13^th position in the Eastern Conference with a 9-15 record. The Pacers are coming off a 3-game losing streak.

Indiana Pacers vs Miami Heat Prediction and Odds: Indian Pacers Preview:

The Indian Pacers are off to a very rough start this season with a 9-15 record and in 13th position in the east, but the Pacers have a strong core in the form of Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner, Domantas Sabonis, and Caris LeVert.

The Pacers added Rick Carlisle as the Head Coach in the offseason. This team under Rick Carlisle has great potential and a higher ceiling. The Pacers lost to Hawks 111-114 on Wednesday, the big three of Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner, and Domantas Sabonis combined to score 66 points in the game and they almost won the game for the Pacers.

Indiana Pacers vs Miami Heat Prediction and Odds: What can we expect from the Pacers?

The Pacers are an elite rebounding side, they rank 4th in the league in rebounding percentages. They are ranked 7th in offensive rebounding percentages in the league. So, we can expect them to hit the glass hard and try to gain extra possessions. Sabonis ranks 5th in the league in rebounds with 11.9 RPG. He also ranks 10th in ORPG in the league. This will come in handy against the Heat as they are a top 3 team in the league in rebounding percentages.

Indiana Pacers vs Miami Heat Prediction and Odds: What should the Pacers do?

The Pacers are one of the most foul committing teams in the league. They rank 27th in fouls committed with 20.4 fouls per game. They are up against the Miami Heat who have a free throw percentage of 80.4 and they are ranked 6th in the league in FT %. In the last three games, the Pacers committed 59 fouls. The Miami Heat by the way is the 7th best team in the league in FTA per game. So, the Pacers should reduce the number of fouls committed against the Heat. 

Indiana Pacers vs Miami Heat Prediction and Odds: Miami Heat Preview:

The Miami Heat were off to a great start with a record of 13-7 but in the last two games without their superstar Jimmy Butler they lost both those games and his health for the game against the Pacers is still unknown and he is likely to miss out, along with Bam Adebayo and Markieff Morris.

The Heat will miss two of their All-Stars against the Pacers. In the last two games without Butler, the Miami Heat are ranked 27th in the league in defensive efficiency with a defensive efficiency of 124.9 and their offensive efficiency dipped from 110.1 to 105.

Indiana Pacers vs Miami Heat Prediction and Odds: What should the Heat do?

The Miami Heat will be very much short-handed against the Pacers. They want Kyle Lowry to step up big time who went 2-9 from the field with just 7 points against the Cavs on Wednesday. Miami Heat would also want Tyler Herro who returned on Wednesday against the Cavs, he went 9-23 from the field with 21 points.

Duncan Robinson is another one who the Heat would love to see in good rhythm, he went 0-7 from the field and 0-6 from three with 0 points against the Cavs. In the absence of their two All-Stars, the Heat would want their two young players in Herro and Robinson to step up along with Kyle lowry to save the day.

Indiana Pacers vs Miami Heat Prediction and Odds: Players to watch out for:

Tyler Herro: Herro has been playing his best basketball in his career this season. He is averaging a career-high across the Stats sheet. He is averaging 21.7 PPG 5.5RPG AND 3.8 APG. With Ban Adebayo and Jimmy Butler, out the scoring load lies heavily on Tyler Herro’s shoulders.

Malcolm Brogdon: He is the leading scorer for the Pacers with 21 PPG so far this season. He also leads the team in assists per game with 6 APG.

Indiana Pacers vs Miami Heat Prediction and Odds:

With Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Markieff Morris out, the Miami Heat might struggle with their defense as seen in their last two games. Offensively with two of their scorers, they will be lacking the offensive firepower to over the Pacers. The Pacers are expected to go past the undermanned Miami Heat to secure their 10th win of the season.

Indiana Pacers vs Miami Heat Prediction and Odds: Match Details:

Indiana Pacers vs Miami Heat

Date and Time: Friday, December 3, 7 PM ET [ Saturday, December 4, 5:30 AM IST]

Venue: Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

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