This is our GAMETHREAD: Chat live about the game here!
The Miami Heat (11-8) host the Indiana Pacers (9-8) for the second consecutive game at the Kaseya Center after a more than memorable first round on Thursday.
Bam Adebayo is out tonight after re-injuring his hip during the first half and sitting out the rest of the game, while Tyrese Haliburton is also (thankfully) sitting out after scoring 44 points.
Injury Report:
Miami Heat:
- Bam Adebayo (hip) — OUT
- Jimmy Butler (ankle) — PROBABLE
- R.J. Hampton (two-way) — OUT
- Tyler Herro (ankle) — OUT
- Dru Smith (ankle) — OUT
Indiana Pacers:
- Kendall Brown (G-League) — QUESTIONABLE
- Tyrese Haliburton (knee) — OUT
- Jalen Smith (knee) — OUT
- Oscar Tshiebwe (G-League) — QUESTIONABLE
- Isaiah Wong (G-League) — QUESTIONABLE
Projected Starting 5:
Miami Heat:
- Kyle Lowry, G
- Duncan Robinson, G/F
- Jimmy Butler, F
- Haywood Highsmith, F
- Kevin Love, F
Indiana Pacers:
- Andrew Nembhard, G
- Buddy Hield, G
- Bruce Brown, G/F
- Obi Toppin, F
- Myles Turner, C
Broadcast Info:
- Tipoff: 8:00 PM EST
- TV: Bally Sports Sun (Eric Reid, John Crotty)
- Radio: AM 560 Sports WQAM & The HEAT Radio Network (Jason Jackson)
- Spanish Radio: WAQI 710 AM & The HEAT Spanish Radio Network (José Pañeda)
QUIZ FOR THE DAY!
If Emily is from Alaska…
Manila is from Phillipines…
Realty Czech is from the Czech Republic…and
SunMan is from Arizona…
Is Alien from…Uranus?
Alas, Reality Czech’s journey began in Brooklyn, then to central California, and now in South Florida for many years, but never actually in the Czech Republic.
Cool. I’m in southern Cali.
Been meaning to ask for a while now. Where is DogBone, anyway ^^
where chech comes from then?
A play on the term ‘reality check’.
aliens lost in space somewhere
Or just dilusional.
I have a feeling that Alien just tried to boost some debate by taking the stand a bit different then majority here.
He succeeded, I suppose.
And I don’t care. His opinion is legit.
He might be right in some way. Maybe the era of point guards being the main thing in basketball is over.
Stephen, Luka, Dame, Jrue, Ja, Donovan, Jamal, De’Aaron, Trae, Tyrese, Tyrese, Jalen, Kyrie, Darius and LaMelo might disagree with you.
But Jokic and Bam might agree.
Gotta say tho, you raise another question. Can a team actually be competitive with a pass first PG anymore?
any guess where im from? đŸ¤£
Of course! You are the Marquis d’Zech, no? Which should pinpoint your origin anywhere your parents have cousins ^^ jk
every team has issues in the nba guys with salary cap hard to have a perfect team.if u have a super super star like jovic he covers up any deficiencies.bost has no bench.milw best player cant shoot.
Just got back from fam vacay and since there’s no recap yet…I was a little disappointed with this loss. No Haliburton. Still 144pts!! Game was lost in the 3rd so even if Heat got 30+ pts we can say its a bit turd q. They didn’t adjusted much in the second half I guess. I’ll save my 20 game commentary by the recap. And 3 days rest? Is that good? Well for Bam yes.
ind shot 75% in second and third qtr
At least we generally kept score with them.
thats an rc good loss lol
I was reasonable enough to back off after things got heated over a comment like this. I’d appreciate if you did the same.
There are times you can extract something positive from a loss. That’s a fact.
However, relative to this game, there was nothing about it that I felt was good or positive. No excuses, the Heat played awful.
jeez just kidding around .At least we generally kept score with them.thought of u when sunday afternoon said that.
Reply
Okay
i dont think the heat played awful especially on the offensive end.they were just to athletic for us nothing u can do about that except only play your best athletes to match their quickness.
We have to have better defense than what I saw in that game. Uncontested layup after layup.
bams a layup stopper .o rob if hes gonna get pt has to be better at that
Was suuuuuper annoying, really. They weren’t really D’ing up on the other end either. They let us grind out a layup w 14 on the clock, then they just sprinted down and gave us 2 on the other end. Carlisle was playing chicken w Spo. Whoever adjusts and tries to slow down the game is gna have to play through set D and miss out on the easy layups
My takeways:
You can continue being in denial about Miami’s need for an everyday floor general as well as the need for interior help for Bam who can rebound, defend and spread the floor. Even with Herro and Bam back 100%, those two issues will not be resolved.
SUPPORTING FACTS
Miami has not beaten a single team in the top 10 this year (0-4) and the combined records of the 10 teams the Heat has beaten is a horrendous 67-130.
Our starting PG, soon to be 38 year old Kyle Lowry, had 4 points and 2 assists in 29 minutes last night. With Haliburton out, Indiana’s back-up PGs, Nemhard and McConnell, had 24 points and 22 assists between them.
Lowry is an inconsistent PG, on an expiring contract, who is a good back-up/mentor. He is not a starting caliber NBA PG. I would take McConnell over him all day/any day/every day. There are several other PGs out there (Alex Caruso, Monte Morris, Malcolm Brogdon and others) who may be available without mortgaging the farm. Indiana’s PF, Obi Toppin had 22 points and his back-up Isaiah Jackson had 8 (28 points total). By the way, Indiana picked Topin up this off-season for two second round picks. Miami PFs (Highsmith, 6.5 ppg, who left the game with an injury and Love, 7.9 ppg) had 14 points total.
Highsmith and Love are not starting caliber NBA PFs. Both are good back-up PFs.In the past, I have advocated for a big PF who can spread the floor, rebound and defend to compliment Bam and help relieve the load, especially against bigger/better teams such as T-Wolves, Nuggets, Lakers, Bucks, etc.There are several PFs out there who may be available without mortgaging the farm. I personally like Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart (11.2ppg, 7.9rpg, 37.0 3pt%). He is in final year of his rookie contract and has signed a 4-year extension at $15M per year.
I’m not the only one who thinks this year’s team is mediocre. So does Jimmy Butler.
https://allucanheat.com/posts/jimmy-butler-calls-miami-heat-mediocre-after-11-9-start?utm_campaign=FanSided+Daily&utm_source=FanSided+Daily&utm_medium=email&sc=e0273490fd355e2c28bdb25751d41af65a4dd80936ff00a80be9866c97887955
Wake up Alien and smell the mediocrity.

GO HEAT!!!
Actually, those who are in denial are folks like you who suddenly realized the need for a pg after being disappointed by Damien. I did not hear you call for a pg immediately after Vincent got traded to Lakers. If you thought the Heat needed a pg,
you would have done so last season because Vincent is really not an elite pg, forget that he performed above expectations.
Sir, you deny that getting a pg will not help your players hit open 3s, they should make but miss.
You Sir, deny and refuse to give credit to every Heat player being capable of bringing the ball from across the back court, which is one of the responsibilities of a point guard in other teams.
Sir, you deny that getting a pg will take away the average points per game from one of your leading scorers (Butler, Bam or Herro) and may not necessary make your team better. Case in point since Damien went to the Bucks, Middleton’s APG has dropped but has that placed them on top of the conference. No sir!
You deny that all you want to see from a pg is those scintillating acrobatic moves you have not seen from the Heat since the days of D-Wade but cherish seeing from other teams.
You Sir, deny and pretend that you know better than Spo, Pat and the Heat’s FO who have not made a pg their priority inorder to satisfy your craving for one.
Sir, you deny that the Heat’s loss to Lakers in 2020 NBA’ finals was not for lack of n elite pg but due to mismatch from Davis.
You deny that the Bucks sweeping the Heat in the first round of the ECF in 2021 was not for lack of an elite pg but due to mismatch from Brook Lopez (Bucks), which at least Riley acknowledged.
You deny that the Nuggets beating the Heat in the. 2023 NBA finals was due to mismatch from Jokic. The heat tried to address that by getting Bryant from the Nuggets as a back up to Bam.
You deny that a pg will not address that mismatch.
Good luck to you in your perpetual state of denial as your call and craving for a pg that will thrill you with scintillating acrobatic moves, that the need certainly and surely do not need.
Go Heat, Go, we shall continue to thrive as we have done all season !
team is mediocre looking like their best player said.have beaten nobody any good.to many 6 5 to 6 7 players not any good pgs or bigs besides bam.a trade is needed for a 2 way pg.and an obi toppin type player
By the way let go off the dog bone, so you can see, focus and think right!
You must not have read what I posted.
If you think this team, as constituted, can get to and win the NBA FINALS, with Lowry and Highsmith starting, you are gaslighting yourself.
P.S. Neither McConnell nor Stewart are allstars. However, they are definitely better than what we have now. Jus sayin.
Ok. Circle back with me at the end of the season.
100% agree
You speak of mediocrity. I doubt you know the meaning of that word. The Celtics is by no stretch of any imagination, a mediocre team. Yet as elite as the team is, they saw prudence in trading away a solid 2 way pg in Marcus Smart to acquire Porzingis, so that they can address any future mismatch against the likes of Jokic, Brook Lopez, Davis.
Sir, do wake up from your state of denial and understand where Heat’s real need is.
You conveniently ommitted the fact that Boston also picked up a better PG than Smart…Jrue Holiday. So there’s that.
Like I said circle back with me at the end of the season.
Are you quitting our debate already? I was just warming up.
By the way, Riley also agrees the Heat needs a two-way PG. Check this out.
https://heatnation.com/rumors/report-miami-heat-were-willing-to-give-up-more-assets-for-jrue-holiday-than-damian-lillard-due-to-variety-of-factors/
Great post. For some, reality bites. For others, it is a wake up call. This is Jimmy’s last real chance. This team will not go far without upgrades from outside in exactly the areas you address. It should be clear by now, the evidence is in.
Sometimes, with all the injuries, it is harder to judge where we stand. But, the missing players are part of the equation because they will continue to miss games. For example, Lowry will not play 82 games, you can count on that.
ORob has potential, more than most of our GLeaguers, except Duncan. He may become a very capable back up center. And JJJ has helped us, as has JRich, but we still don’t have enough, even fully healthy.
I said the answers will come to whether this team can compete with the best, and they are clearly in. We are underdogs in Toronto next. Do we need more evidence than that?
I think both SunMan and Alien both have points. I really liked the SM proposal that would bring Derozen and Caruso here without gutting the team. That’d be a big step in the right direction. It doesn’t address that we remain undersized at pf to better match up with Lopez and others. The combo of Bam and O Robinson is starting to look better. I said before the season that our back up center position was much better with Robinson and Bryant. I was wrong about Bryant.
I am a Butler fan. I’d love to see him get a ring. He deserves it. But I am a bigger Heat fan. Unless you can bring in a game changing player, hopefully 30 or under, I don’t want to see the team sacrifice their youth and draft picks. I don’t think any of those players are really available. I’m talking about Doncic, Greek, Markannen, Mitchell, Sabonis. Maybe Siakam or Ingram?
Well, a good two way point guard would certainly can be used against the likes Lillard,Young, Haliburton or Brunson, if name only east PG. The best of that kind are in the west. We have 37 old Lowry to match them. There is no bigger hole in this team.
not sure orobs d is weak based on one game.why this coach plays bryant at all is baffling or should i say head scratching,let orob get a feel for nba players and get experience on the ct of help defense .when a player gets beat last line of d is always bam to portect the rim.orob needs to get better at that u very rarely see him blocking a shot or deterring a shot like bam.he looks like he belongs just needs game time experience.enough with bryant already spo
I agree re: ORob. He’s only 23. He needs game time experience. His rebounding (especially offensive) is good, his shooting around the basket is good, his 3 point shooting is improving, his defense is not so good. It can improve with more experience, hard work and self-confidence. His body can also develop/get stronger. I think he has very good potential as a back-up center. However, unless he is going to be groomed to play alongside Bam as a combo PF/C, he does not resolve the PF issue. I agree re: Bryant. He is a “throw-in” if/when Miami makes a trade.
w,o bam we are very weak defensively..ind shot friggin 75% 2nd and 3rd qtr.ive never heard of that.w/o googling im gonna say thats never been done before 75 75 back to back qtrs.or if it has been done very few times
144 POINTS… 144 POINTS..
IN MIAMI… AGAINST MIAMI.
bam matters
4 days to rest. Maybe everyone will be healthy by Wednesday.
we surrender now 133 122 4 mins ball game
hate to say it kept dunc in way too long needed cain out there on brown
It wouldn’t have helped. Cain played 5 minutes. Stat line 0-0-0-0-0-0-2 (fouls).
what was bruce browns stat line .1/2 the game played on defense.
Correct. Maybe Cain would’ve helped with more minutes, but the problem wasn’t Duncan, it was the whole team. (Unless one has a personal agenda)
got a shot thanks to jim orob caleb
Don’t give up yet!
wide open shot after wide open shot ridiculous
dunc tries so hard but w/o bam covering his butt he getting killed by brown
have they missed 2 shots in a row pathetic defense or great offense?
there superstar not playing to
Might as well rest Jimmy the rest of the 4th. They aren’t pulling this off tonight, just completely confused, and lack of effort defensively .
not so fast zach we got jimmy best player on ct
bruce brown balling out dam
Everyone on the pacers just walks into the paint with no effort. Horrendous team defense.
bam covers lot of the heats d deficiencies
tj mcconnell a heat killer
75% wow
pacers shot 75% last 2 quarters thats unacceptable
all there players can get their own shot.
j rich wow this version better than first one
no rim protection with love in there
these guys dont miss
Jimmy has scored the last seven Heat points.
orob 3 no hesitation
We just got steamrolled for three minutes. We couldn’t score and they couldn’t miss. Games not over, but now we have to make the comeback.
Maybe it’s just the Pacers, but Miami’s defense has been pretty awful in these two games. Not having Bam is huge, but has to be concerning.
when u have dunc lowry love u arent going to be good defensively
Welcome back (NOT!) turd quarter.
jimmys out of juice
bennedict mathurn is he a traitor lol
jjj 1 for 5 thats a rare bad half
ORob made some plays that showed great offensive potential.
Also, Duncan was absolutely in the zone. He was incredible for awhile.
And yet, we go in tied at the half.
just getting in got last kiss concert on bowl games heat saw 30s panthers lost.jimmy have any juice tonight his effort last game was incredible
Yes, the Cats went down to a run of the mill team without their best player. And the Panthers came into that game on a very positive note. Such is the life of a sports fan.
Butler and Lowry need to get going in the second half. Does Jaquez start? Or do they keep the rhythm of the game and start Cain?
Go RC! Lol
Sorry stopping for a bit, on a fam vacay. Go Heat!
We may be seeing a good player in the making in ORob.
What are you doing on my private blog? đŸ˜†
if u watch him play every time hes in he plays good.when bryant plays lots choppy play
Great Duncan 3!
Coast to coast jrich
Gotta Love those Love touchdown passes
With Highsmith out, may see a lot of Cain tonight.
Let’s go O!
Let’s go Heat!!