The Miami Heat proved not to be a problem for the Indiana Pacers on Friday Night as the bench made up for a struggling group of starters.
Anyone who’s ever lived in Indiana in November knows; the Heat is rarely a problem. Tonight, the Indiana Pacers faced a bigger November challenge than normal with Miami in town, but they held on to beat the Heat in a back and forth Hickory Night.
The Heat led 27-15 in the first quarter. The starters (outside of Turner) struggled mightily, and the team looked lethargic. What felt concerning flipped on its head in the second, as the Pacers 2nd unit came roaring back, putting together a 29-5 run to give the Pacers a 44-32 lead that would carry throughout.
It was a game of runs, and the lead was never comfortable, but Miami didn’t have quite enough to compete with the balance the Pacers brought to the table. There were plenty of concerns for the blue and gold tonight, but ultimately, the Pacers walked away with a W against a potential playoff team. A win is a win is a win.
The Pacers bench we’d all hoped for is real, at least for tonight
The bench keyed a 29-5 run after things were looking rather bleak for the Pacers in the first quarter. The Heat starters had slapped around the combination of Darren Collison, Victor Oladipo, and Bojan Bogdanovic, and Banker’s Life Fieldhouse had gone unsettlingly quiet. Once Cory Joseph, Tyreke Evans, Doug McDermott, and Domas Sabonis checked in to accompany Myles Turner, fortunes changed. No bench player finished below +12 on the night.
Josh Richardson is going to be a problem for the Eastern Conference
It’d be easy to pile on Victor Oladipo and give him the blame for Josh Richardson’s big night, but he was matched up with Bojan Bogdanovic for more of the game than Vic. J-Rich simply caught on fire from deep, hitting 7-10. Every time there was a Pacers defensive breakdown, Richardson was there to capitalize. Jimmy Butler is a very good basketball play, but the Heat might’ve been on to something not trading Richardson for him.
Victor Oladipo is human…
Outside of Winning Time, that is. Oladipo finished with only 8 points on 3-12 shooting, but yet again, when things got tight and the game was in the balance, Oladipo drilled a huge three. This man is totally unfair in the last 2 minutes.
The Pacers next game is tomorrow when they face off with Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks. Tipoff in Indy will be at 7.