In their third game of the season, the Indiana Pacers finally tallied one in the win column, defeating the Miami Heat 102-91 in overtime on the second night of a back-to-back. This game was also the team’s home opener, with the newly named Gainbridge Fieldhouse welcoming back fans on full throttle for the first time in more than a year.
Despite being on tired legs after their OT loss the other night against the Wizards, the Pacers started and ended the game pretty well. While troubling themes persisted (more on that later), the Blue and Gold managed to come out victorious against a fortified Heat team that recently routed defending champs Milwaukee in their opener.
Indiana, unlike in their two previous losses, used a balanced scoring attack to thwart Miami, with five players finishing with double digits led by Chris Duarte‘s 19 points. and Oshae Brissett and Malcolm Brogdon both tallying 18 markers. On the flip side, Tyler Herro led the Heat with 30 points, while their All-Star duo of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo struggled offensively, combining for 36.
The Pacers once again trotted out an incomplete lineup, with Caris LeVert and TJ Warren still shelved and Myles Turner, after a sensational showing against Washington, went missing due to foul troubles. Meanwhile, the Heat missed the services of Kyle Lowry, their prized offseason acquisition.
With the Indiana Pacers having registered their first win of the 2021-22 NBA season, here are three takeaways from their impressive home opening victory against the Miami Heat.
The Indiana Pacers showed that they can win in a slugfest
After losing in two blistering shootouts to begin the season, the Indiana Pacers faced a stylistic shift against a defensive-minded Miami Heat team. While the team mostly struggled to catch consistent rhythm offensively, shooting a measly 39.2 percent from the floor, including 25.6 percent on triples, they still managed to win, proving that they can succeed in a slugfest.
Really, what drove the Blue and Gold towards victory here is their defense. The team managed to limit a star-studded Heat team to 91 points, a stark contrast to their putrid defensive stance against Charlotte and Washington, where they gave up 123 and 135 points, respectively. Overall, Miami shot 38.5 percent, including a 27.3 percent mark from downtown.
The Pacers’ defensive performance is even greater considering that their defensive anchor in Turner was limited to 16 minutes after a night-long foul trouble. Domas did a good job on Adebayo and Brogdon cam up big against Butler late in the game, while Justin Holiday and Oshae Brissett manned Indiana’s pesky perimeter D.
The Indiana Pacers’ third quarter struggles continue
Unfortunately, for the third game in a row, the Indiana Pacers were badly outscored in the third quarter after leading by double-digits at halftime. The team only mustered a grand total of eight points in the quarter, opposite to Miami’s 17, allowing the Heat to trim their deficit and eventually take the lead for most of the fourth quarter.
In need of more evidence for Indiana’s lack of acuity with good play in the third quarter? Look at this stat:
Pacers net rating by quarter (league rank):
— Tony East (@TonyREast) October 23, 2021
1st: +25.7 (5th)
2nd: +1.9 (13th)
3rd: -61.2 (30th)
4th: +28.9 (5th)
I asked Rick Carlisle what has been the struggle with third quarters on Friday. Here's his response: pic.twitter.com/yejOVGlAzg
With the Pacers taking early leads in virtually all of their contests so far, they need to fix their poor play coming out of the break. If not, a repeat of their collapse against the Hornets and the Wizards and their near-collapse against Miami will be inevitable.
Oshae Brissett emerged from the Indiana Pacers doghouse and returned to form
Coach Rick Carlisle barely used Oshae Brissett in the Indiana Pacers’ first two outings, but the third-year player quickly made a strong case to become a staple in the rotation after essentially being the team’s MVP in their victory over the Heat.
With Turner limited and Torrey Craig struggling, Brissett played 32 minutes in the game, finishing with a near triple-double of 18 points and nine rebounds. He converted on seven of his 11 field goal attempts, including three out of six three-point tries, being one of the very few players from both teams who had a good shooting night while playing solid defense all night long.
The Pacers’ short rotation didn’t seem to work in their previous games, and with Brissett returning to form, the coaching staff has no reason to have him tethered to the bench, especially with the team still yet to get their regulars back from injuries.