Miami Heat Fall Just Short In Sunday's Loss To The Indiana Pacers

Four Heat players score 20 or more points in the 117-115 loss

Apr 7, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) dribbles the ball / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Four Miami Heat players reached the 20-point mark in the team’s 117-115 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.

Jimmy Butler led the scoring with 27 points. Butler shot just 7 for 16 from the field but was a perfect 12 for 12 from the free throw line.

Bam Adeyao also posted a double-double for the third straight game. He had 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Both Caleb Martin and Tyler Herro had big impacts off the bench as well. Martin had 20 points for the first time since December. Herro scored 21 points and received an uptick in minutes in his second game since returning from injury.

Despite the high scoring totals, the Heat were unable to efficiently shoot the ball throughout the game. The team made just 29.6 percent of their threes. The Heat have won just four games this season while shooting below 30 percent from beyond the arc.

Sunday’s loss does not represent the Heat’s recent offensive success. The team had won four of its last five games entering the contest. The Heat had shot 49.5 percent from the field and over 40 percent from three during that stretch.

The offense should expect to amp up as well as Tyler Herro and Kevin Love both return to speed. Both players have yet to fully adjust since returning from injuries.

The Heat play the Atlanta Hawks next on Tuesday. The Hawks allow 120.3 points per game, tied for the third most in the NBA. 

Casey Fahrer is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He can be reached at caseyfahrer716@gmail.com.

You can also check out his personal blog HERE