Indiana Pacers use big Bruce Brown game to take down Miami Heat without Tyrese Haliburton
The Indiana Pacers faced off with the Miami Heat for the second time this week on Saturday night. They fell by 10 points to the Heat on Thursday night.
The Pacers were going to have to make adjustments to get the win, but it was going to be extremely difficult without star guard Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton was out with an illness, and he had 44 points two nights ago. He is important to Indiana's offense, so they were going to need to find unique ways to get advantages.
Andrew Nembhard started in Haliburton's place, and he helped the Pacers take a quick lead at 5-4 after a pair of free throws. Nembhard is a wonderful defender, and Indiana needed that skill in this battle.
He led the blue and gold on the less glamorous end of the floor early, and they held the Heat to eight points in the first 5:24 of action. Unfortunately for Indiana, they couldn't score during that span. They started the game 2/11 from the field and trailed 8-7 at that point.
The Pacers offensive struggles continued as the first quarter progressed. They had just 12 points after nine minutes, but their defense was keeping them within striking distance. They weren't laying down despite a dreadful scoring start.
Indiana's bench kept them in the game and found some points in the final three minutes of the quarter. They needed it. After one frame, the Heat led the Pacers 31-25, and Bennedict Mathurin was the Pacers leader with eight points.
The blue and gold wouldn't have been in the game if it weren't for their bench in the first quarter, and that trend continued in the second frame. Indiana's second unit kept pushing and cut Miami's lead down to three, which prompted a Heat timeout.
The home team surged after that break and led by eight after just a few more plays. They play smart and have an answer for everything, so the Pacers couldn't afford to have too many mistakes, especially without Haliburton.
They made far fewer down the stretch of the half. Indiana upped their level on both ends in the final minutes of the second quarter and ended up tying the game in the final minute of the half. They were playing well without their star.
Miami regained a lead, but a buzzer beater just before halftime from T.J. McConnell knotted the game up at 65 at halftime. It was an impressive first half for the blue and gold.
The Pacers had a fantastic start to the second half. They made a few important threes and defended well, which allowed them to score 17 points in just over four minutes. They were up 10 at that point. Outside shots were falling, and the defense was humming.
Indiana was up by 10 in the third quarter during their loss on Thursday, so they couldn't afford to slow down.
The Heat responded with a quick 5-0 run of their own to keep the game close. They never go away. For a young Pacers team that has peaks and valleys throughout a game, a resilient team like Miami is tough.
The Pacers, for much of the third quarter, were tougher. They were happy to get into a back-and-forth game, especially since they were holding the lead. Obi Toppin was defending well, and Indiana kept finding ways to score.
The blue and gold were once again finding success with their bench unit. That group was getting into the paint and moving the ball, a strategy that can work against any team.
After the third frame, the Pacers led 106-98. They scored 81 points across the second and third quarters, an unsustainably high number, but one that they earned by taking care of the ball and attacking the paint. Bruce Brown and Aaron Nesmith both had 18 points at the point.
The fourth quarter, which is where things fell apart for the Pacers on Thursday, started off with more seesaw play. Neither team was getting stops to open the frame as both squads were playing with a ton of energy.
Brown, who had been playing well all night, hit a big three to extend the Pacers lead to 12 points with 8:35 to go in the game. That was their largest lead of the game at the time. They had, to that point, an answer for all of Miami's questions.
The Pacers solid offensive output continued, and they still led by 12 when the fourth quarter was halfway over. They were finding space in the Heat defense, as they had done for much of the second half.
But Miami responded with a quick 6-0 run, which led to a timeout for the blue and gold. They needed to regroup and stay on track to get the win.
Head coach Rick Carlisle inspired a run during that break. The Pacers responded, going on a 7-2 burst themselves, and they were up 132-121 with 4:17 to go. The Pacers looked poised and were a few minutes of good play away from closing out a big win.
They got it. The Pacers were still on fire and led by 14 points with 1:40 to go. Indiana was absolutely fantastic on the offensive end for the final frames to get it done.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Pacers were ahead 144-129. They needed a win and got it, even without Haliburton. They were 7-20 without him since the start of the 2022-23 season prior to Saturday.
Brown was fantastic with 30 points. Toppin (22 points), Nesmith (20), and McConnell (20) also reached the 20-point threshold. It was a true team effort for Indiana, who improved to 10-8 with the win.
They next play on Monday when they host the Boston Celtics for In-Season Tournament Quarterfinal action.
- Indiana Pacers first-round picks Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard assigned to G League for playing time. CLICK HERE.
- Indiana Pacers will host Boston Celtics during In-Season Tournament Quarterfinals next Monday. CLICK HERE.
- Steven Rales purchases 15% of Indiana Pacers from Herbert Simon, now owns 20% of the team pending NBA approval. CLICK HERE.
- Career high for Tyrese Haliburton not enough as Indiana Pacers fall to Miami Heat behind miserable second half. CLICK HERE.
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