The Indiana Pacers (2-3) and Miami Heat (3-2) will face off at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Friday, Nov. 6 and can be seen on ESP, FxI and SUN.
The Pacers enter this game hoping for similar success after barely hanging on to beat the Celtics 100-98 on Wednesday. Paul George played a pivotal role, recording his second double-double of the season with 26 points and 10 rebounds. The Heat, meanwhile, are coming off a 96-84 win against the Timberwolves on Thursday. Dwyane Wade led the game in scoring by accounting for 25 points on 11-for-19 shooting.
The Heat are a slim one-point favorite over Indiana. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of 197 points. The Pacers have the same record (2-3) both Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS).
As for their opponent, the Heat have 3-2 SU and ATS records. The Heat convert their shots at a high percentage, ranking fifth in the league at .467. Moving on to Miami’s defense, the Heat allow just 93.4 points per game, ranking them fifth in the league. The Miami defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing .403 shooting from the field to its opponents.
The conference foes meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Indiana won the last game in the matchup, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the last 10 meetings. The Pacers lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Mia, ATS Winner – Mia, O/U – Under
Notes
Indiana is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana’s last 6 games.
Indiana is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games.
Indiana is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games.
Indiana is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Indiana’s last 11 games at home.
Indiana is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Miami.
Indiana is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Miami.
While Indiana puts up an average of just 94.4 points per game (ranked 26th), Miami ranks fifth in points allowed, giving up 93.4 points per game.
Indiana ranks 22nd in points per home game with 93.0 points, while Miami ranks third in points allowed on the road with 93.0.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Indiana Pacers are a winning 2-1. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Miami Heat have a losing record of 1-2.
The Pacers are winless this season when they allow at least 100 points (0-2). Conversely, Miami is undefeated when it hits triple digits (2-0).
The Pacers have an offensive rating of 95.8 (ranked 25th). The Heat rank seventh for their defensive rating of 96.0.
The Indiana Pacers average 98.5 possessions per game and .958 points per possession, while the Miami Heat earn fewer possessions (95.4) but more points per possession (1.033).
The Miami Heat have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking fifth in the league with an EFF% of 51.3%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Indiana Pacers are winless with a 0-1 record.
Indiana averages 23.0 three point attempts per game, and Miami attempts 21.0 per game. Both teams are winless in games where they attempt at least 25 three pointers with records of 0-1.
The Indiana Pacers rank 29th with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.10. The Miami Heat have a higher A/TO (1.32), ranking 23rd.
The Indiana Pacers are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league with just 41.4 per game. The Miami Heat average 43.6 rebounds (ranked 18th).
The Miami Heat rank 27th in offensive rebounding, while the Indiana Pacers rank 28th in defensive rebounding.
Miami has forced an average turnover rate of 14.0% this season. In games where their turnover rate is 14.0% or higher, Indiana is an even 2-2.
