Pacers crushed by Heat as Siakam struggles, depth limited: Five things learned
The Pacers were thumped in Miami.
A VERY BRIGHT NBA CUP COURT – A yellow court? In Miami? That must mean it's the NBA Cup. The Pacers were in South Beach to take on the Heat for their first In-Season Tournament battle this season.
The Pacers entered very shorthanded, only made worse by a back injury Obi Toppin suffered early on Friday. He was out for this game – as were Tyrese Haliburton, T.J. McConnell, and Ivica Zubac, among others.
That's five of the team's expected rotation players. And Rick Carlisle, who was at a memorial service for his father, Preston, wasn't coaching in this one. Everyone in the organization needed to step up on Friday night.
Miami grabbed their first win of the season on Wednesday. What was learned in Pacers vs Heat?
Tony East
The Pacers went as their jump shooting went
Early, the Pacers were rolling with basically any combination of players on the court because their jump shooting was fantastic.
Jay Huff hit a pair of threes quickly. Larry Nance hit two later in the first quarter. Those two hitting outside shots is crucial for the Pacers – they need to get anything of note from their big men.
Andrew Nembhard drilled two first-quarter threes as well, and the Pacers were ahead for much of the opening frame thanks to their jump shooting. They started off 6/12 from deep.
That continued into the second quarter – Nembhard, in particular, was hot – but faded quickly. The Pacers made their first four threes of the second period, starting the game 10/16 from beyond the arc. They were up eight midway through the second frame.
Then? Disaster. One of the Pacers next seven triples dropped. Their finishing inside the arc disappeared, too. The Pacers built their lead by making everything, then watched the Heat go on a run when they couldn't make a thing. The Pacers made just two outside shots in the third quarter, then were just okay in the fourth.
The Pacers final line from beyond the arc (remember, they started 10/16): 17/36.
The Pacers had to use their full rotation
With Haliburton, Toppin, McConnell, Zubac, Ben Sheppard, and Johnny Fruphy out for this game, the Pacers had just 11 players available. Acting head coach Lloyd Pierce used every single one of them.
He had few other choices. Cycling through each player was the only way to keep everyone fresh, and managing minutes is critical with so many players presently injured.
Pierce did deploy the rotation in a unique manner: He put five reserves on the court at the same time in the first half. The lineup at that moment was Quenton Jackson, Kobe Brown, Jalen Slawson, Jarace Walker, and Nance.
It held up in the first frame. But the second unit's effectiveness dipped as the game progressed.
A huge Heat run changed the game
The Pacers led 54-46 with 7:01 to go in the first half. They were shooting well and flowing on both ends.
Then, a collapse. By halftime, the Heat were up seven. In the third quarter, Miami's lead crossed 20. The Pacers offense was rough – they weren't finishing plays and had several possessions get deep into the shot clock.
On defense, they were struggling to stop Giannis Antetokounmpo in the first half (most teams do) then Klay Thompson in the second (that's new this year). Thompson made five threes in the third quarter, more than the entire Pacers team.
"We're mixing it up a little bit on him. Giving him different guys, giving him different looks," Pacers assistant coach Jim Boylen said of the strategy defending Antetokounmpo during a halftime interview on the DAZN broadcast.
From the Pacers eight-point lead to the Heat's 23-point third-quarter edge, Miami went on a 52-21 run. The Pacers were 10/30 in that stretch and had six turnovers. The Heat shot 19/30 in the same run and had just four turnovers. They completely dominated the game thanks to that run.
At the end of it, the hosts were ahead 98-75. The final scoring margin? Heat +20. That run was the difference in the game.
Klay Thompson was on fire
Thompson entered this game averaging 7.8 points per game this season. He was 13/41 from the field (31.7%) and had made 12 threes in four games.
Against the Pacers, he was outstanding. Thompson found his range, knocking down 7/12 of his outside shots on his way to 25 points. Just like with Anfernee Simons on Wednesday night, the Pacers kept losing him.
Pascal Siakam had an off night
So rarely does Pascal Siakam struggle. His consistency is one of the best things going for the Pacers.
But the Pacers need him to be a star with Haliburton out. He wasn't in this game, a rarity. The multi-time All-Star shot 5/17 from the field, marking his first game with the Pacers in which he shot 17+ times and made five or fewer. His previous worst was a 7/17 game on January 4, 2025.
With Siakam off and several players injured, the Pacers had no chance of winning. They fell 145-125 to the Heat. And remember, point differential matters in the NBA Cup. The Pacers are 2-4.
Thank you for reading. The Pacers head back home for two games, so expect stories from those and much more soon. Sign up and it will all head straight to your email inbox.
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