Pacers vs. Heat Preview and Game Thread

Feb 8, 2023 - 11:30 PM

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The Indiana Pacers (25-30) hit the road on Trade Deadline Eve to take on the Miami Heat (29-25) at the now sponsorless Miami-Dade Arena.

While watching the injury report before the trade deadline is often intriguing, so far there are no “Hmm” additions for the Pacers with just Chris Duarte listed as questionable. Still something to keep an eye on as we close in on tip time.

On the court, the Pacers continue to struggle, winning just two of their last 14 games an 1-2 since Tyrese Haliburton returned from injury. Still, the overall offense has slipped to the point where the Pacers are 24th overall in offensive efficiency, while 22nd in defensive efficiency. Over the past 15 games, the Pacers are dead last in offense. So with Tyrese or not, there is a lot of work to be done with this team as the schedule remains challenging through February.

This is the final game in the season series against the Heat. The Pacers hold a 2-1 advantage, which included a 111-108 win in Miami in the last matchup on Dec. 23. That was the ‘Tyrese Game’ when the Pacers All-Star put 43 points on the Heat, after scoring just 1 point in the prior matchup at the Fieldhouse.

Among those not expected to play for Miami is former Pacers and Hoosiers star, Victor Oladipo who has missed the past two games with an ankle sprain.

DraftKings Odds: Heat -7, O/U 223.5 (latest DraftKings odds here)

When: 7:30 p.m. ET

Where: Miami-Dade Arena, Miami, FL

TV: Bally Sports Indiana/Bally Sports + app

Radio: 93.5 FM/107.5 FM

Projected Starting Lineups

Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Buddy Hield, Aaron Nesmith, Myles Turner

Heat: Gabe Vincent, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Caleb Martin, Bam Adebayo

Injuries

IND: Chris Duarte - questionable (sore right ankle)

MIA: Orlando Robinson - probable (fractured right thumb), Gabe Vincent - probable (right ankle inflammation), Nikola Jovic - out (back stress reaction), Kyle Lowry - out (sore right knee), Victor Oladipo - out (right ankle sprain), Duncan Robinson - out (finger surgery recovery), Omer Yurtseven - out (left ankle)

Please share your thoughts and observations on the game in the comments.