Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat will be squaring off in the third game of the playoffs series in American Basketball League Postseason 2019-20.
Team preview
Miami Heat and Indian Pacers will meet again in the Game -3 of the first round of an Eastern Conference playoff series in the Sunshine State. The Miami Heat are on the way to close the door for Pacers after back to back wins and took a 2-0 lead in the series. The 3-0 deficit would be a completely shut-down for Indiana so it’s a must-win affair for them. Pacers ended their regular season with a 109-92 victory over Heat but the story is way different in Postseason. After dropping the first game 101-113, Pacers made a good start in the second game by taking the first quarter 24-22 but returned the led in the second quarter by 7 points. Going into the final quarter, Heat led by 11 points which could be overcome by Pacers but they took the final quarter with only 2-points advantage to suffer 100-109 defeat.
Heat shot 47.7 percent from the floor including 18 out of 35 from the 3-point range while Pacers shot 44.4 percent including 12 out of 34 from the 3-point range. Heat dominated the offensive rebounds by 38-41 to overcome 16 turnovers. Duncan Robinson led Heat with scoring 24 points while Goran Dragic contributed 20 points in the victory. For Pacers, TJ Warren had a quite off the day with scoring just 14 points in 38 minutes while Victor Oladipo paced Pacers with 22 points in the loss. Brogdon and Turner scored 17-points each plus five and eight boards respectively. Jimmy Butler is not in his good touch but still, it’s not a worrying sign for Heat. Pacers require more from Oladipo and Dragi but especially they need some push from the bench who contributed 18 points despite having the 44.4% field goals. Miami Heat is going to smile one more time on Saturday to walk with a 3-0 lead in the series.
Starting Possible Lineups
Miami Heat
Goran Dragic (PG), Jimmy Butler (SF), Duncan Robinson (SG), Jae Crowder (PF), Bam Adebayo (C)
Indian Pacers
Malcolm Brogdon (PG), Aaron Holiday (PG), Victor Oladipo (SG), TJ Warren (SF), Myles Turner (C)
Key Players (Stat including the postseason)
Miami Heat
Jimmy Butler (SF): 23 points, 5 rebounds
Goran Dragic (PG): 22 points, 4.5 rebounds
Bam Adebayo (C): 12 points, 7.5 rebounds
Indian Pacers
Malcolm Brogdon (PG): 19.5 points, 9.5 assists
TJ Warren (SF): 18 points, 7 rebounds
Myles Turner (C): 13 points, 8.5 rebounds
