Indiana Pacers survive a close game to beat Miami Heat in vital seeding battle

The Pacers hosted the Heat on Sunday

The Indiana Pacers hosted the Miami Heat on Sunday evening in a vital game. The two teams were nearly even in the standings entering the day, and the victor would emerge with a huge advantage in the race for postseason seeding. It was one of the biggest regular season games many of the younger Pacers players had ever played in.

Setting the tone early and getting off to a strong start would be critical. Playing from behind in tense, important games is challenging, and Indiana is inexperienced compared to Miami — the Heat have been to the NBA Finals twice in the last half decade. The Pacers couldn't afford a slow start.

They avoided that with a strong first four minutes. Indiana's defense was at a high level early, and they were ahead 10-5 out of the gate. The Pacers looked steady and prepared to that point — they had made few mistakes and were getting quality looks.

The blue and gold continued to expand their lead as the first quarter progressed. They made three of their first four outside shots while Miami missed their first five, and with five minutes to go in the first quarter Indiana led by nine.

That edge reached 11 late in the first frame after a dunk from Jalen Smith. The Pacers were playing their game and generating the shots they needed to keep humming offensively. It was a tremendous start, and the outside shooting discrepancy loomed large.

After one period, Indiana was ahead 38-24. They were rolling through the first 12 minutes. The Pacers were 4/8 from long range while Miami was 0/7. Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner, and T.J. McConnell all had six points for the blue and gold at the time.

The second period opened with more back and forth play, and the advantage on the scoreboard was still at 14 after three more minutes of play. Indiana was playing solid defense and offering good contests on Heat shots.

McConnell continued to shine early. He had 12 points for the blue and gold in the early stages of the second period, which led all scorers. He's been a tough cover for the last few weeks, and the Heat were struggling with his play style.

Indiana's lead reached 21 with about five minutes to go in the first half. It was a butt kicking to that point. The Heat's inability to knock down outside shots combined with the Pacers' strong play on both ends was a tough combination for the visitors.

That edge remained for essentially the rest of the first half. It was a dominant first two frames for the Pacers, who led by 17 at halftime. Miami's poor shooting was a big factor, but the blue and gold were solid on offense themselves. It was 63-46 at the break, with McConnell scoring 14 points and Turner adding a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The second half started with better play from the Heat, who put a dent in the deficit across the first three minutes of the half. Their pace was sharp, and they were generating better shots. Star wing Jimmy Butler got going at the time, which had a chance to be scary for the Pacers.

After about four minutes of third quarter action, the Heat had cut the Pacers advantage from 17 down to 12. The blue and gold needed a response — their offense wasn't particularly effective to that point in the half.

They answered thanks to consecutive three-point shots from Pascal Siakam and Turner, which ballooned Indiana's lead back to 18. The slow start to the half had been erased. The Pacers had momentum once again, but the Heat were more than capable of a comeback.

Miami proved it with a quick 9-2 run. The hosts couldn't put them away and were up by 11 at that point. It felt like the Heat were battling back and in control despite them trailing by double figures.

The Heat cut the lead down to 9 with 4:59 to go in the third period. Their offense looked much more threatening in the second half, and Butler was up to 21 points. McConnell came in at this time as the Pacers took a timeout to regroup — they needed to stop the bleeding.

Indiana responded well out of the stoppage and kept their lead around nine for the next few minutes. Their bench had been playing well all night, and that second unit was once again doing everything they could to make sure the Pacers had a chance to win. Obi Toppin hit consecutive threes late in the quarter to extend the Pacers lead — it was a vital sequence.

After three frames, Indiana led 91-78. It was a wobbly frame for the Pacers, but they stabilized at important moments to keep their edge over 10 points. McConnell had 18 points at the time while Turner had 16.

To get the final period started, McConnell was excellent. He attacked the rim and set up his teammates, and he climbed over 20 points at the time. The Pacers lead reached 15 once again thanks to his contributions, which led to a Miami timeout.

He kept pushing and keeping the blue and gold going, but the Heat responded with a run of their own and cut the lead to 10 with about eight minutes left in the game. Miami is impossible to completely eliminate from a game. The hosts had to stick with their style.

Haliburton and Siakam came in around that time, and the Pacers scored a quick four points to expand their edge. It was a crucial sequence both for momentum and for the scoreboard, and it was 99-85 at the time. But the Heat were surging.

With six minutes to go, it was a seven-point game. Nikola Jovic knocked down three foul shots to get the visitors closer to the hosts. The game was still very much hanging in the balance despite the Pacers holding a lead for nearly the entire game.

The Heat were the better squad for the next few minutes, and they trimmed the deficit down to four with 3:38 to go. They had all the momentum at the time. Their defense had a grip on the game — the Pacers couldn't score.

Indiana had a successful next minute of play as their lead grew back to six, but the game was still far from over. They needed to lock in defensively down the stretch if they were going to earn the important victory.

The Pacers weren't able to get many stops, but their offense was good enough for a few minutes late. They were up five with 90 seconds to go thanks to consecutive buckets from Siakam and Aaron Nesmith.

Around that time, Nesmith scored once again to extend the lead to eight. Indiana was close to putting the game away, but they needed one more stop and score to get it done.

The stop came on their next possession as Tyler Herro missed a three-point shot for Miami, but Indiana didn't score. With 23.0 left in the game, the hosts held a five-point lead as the officials were reviewing a foul call on Siakam during an outside shot from the Heat.

It was ruled a foul, and Herro went to the line for three attempts from the charity stripe. It was a massive moment for the Pacers, who have been rough in the clutch of late. They needed to make a few more plays to put this game away — Herro sank all three foul shots.

The Heat intentionally fouled Turner on the next trip down the court, and the big man made both from the stripe. His team led by four as the clock was winding down, but Herro once again answered with an outside shot.

Nesmith went to the line for two attempts and his team leading by one with 6.6 seconds remaining. There was a ton of tension in the building. The young wing buried both shots to give the Pacers a three-point lead late. Miami took a timeout.

Indiana fouled on purpose to prevent a three-point shot from the Heat. It was Herro once again. He knocked down the first one and set up an important second foul shot, and the Heat had to consider missing on purpose.

Instead, the Heat committed a lane violation. No shot was attempted. The Pacers had the ball up by two with a few seconds to play. And they were able to run out the clock.

Indiana held on for a massive 117-115 win. They remained at sixth in the Eastern Conference standings and improved to 45-34. They have three games left in the season.

Turner finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds. McConnell added 22 points. Siakam had 18 points and eight boards.

Indiana next plays on Tuesday when they battle the Raptors in Toronto.

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