Indiana Pacers ready for 'big game' against Miami Heat with massive standings implications

The Pacers vs Heat game tonight is vital

Nov 30, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) protects the / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers are 44-34. The Miami Heat are 43-34. Tonight, those two teams face off with eight days left in the 2023-24 NBA season, and there are so many stakes that it might as well be considered a playoff game.

Not only are the two teams essentially even in the standings — the Pacers have played one more game and have one more victory — but the squads are right on the line between the playoffs and the Play-In Tournament in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers are currently in sixth place, which is the last seed that avoids going through the Play-In. Miami, meanwhile, is in seventh, which is the top spot that still has to earn their way into the postseason.

Sunday, one of those teams will hand the other one a loss. They will gain ground in the standings. But the ramifications of the matchup go far beyond just that.

Pacers guard T.J. McConnell, one of the team's leaders, said that his group knows the implications of the game. But they are trying to focus on basketball and not the scenarios. "We're aware of it, but we're not harping on it a lot. Taking it one game at a time," he said over the weekend.

Indiana and Miami battled twice earlier in the season, both of which took place in South Florida. The teams split the two games, meaning the season series between the Pacers and Heat is tied right now. Not only will the winner of Sunday's game end the weekend in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, but they will also earn the head-to-head tiebreaker over the other squad. It's essentially worth two games in the standings.

The loser, meanwhile, will take a big hit in the seeding race. And whichever team leaves Gainbridge Fieldhouse with a defeat tonight also has to be wary of the looming Philadelphia 76ers, who recently have been playing well. Reigning MVP Joel Embiid returned from injury this week, and Philly has won four straight games to climb to 43-35.

"Big game. Be ready to go," Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton said of Pacers vs Heat. "Just got to be ready to go from the jump... A lot of impact on the rest of the year."

Miami and Philadelphia split their head-to-head meetings 2-2 this season, and the Heat currently have the better record against Eastern Conference foes. The Pacers, meanwhile, went 2-1 against the 76ers this season and have already clinched that head-to-head tiebreaker. Because both Indiana and Miami succeeded against the Sixers this season, not only is the Pacers and Heat's head-to-head tiebreaker at stake on Sunday, but the three-way tiebreaker between Indiana, Philadelphia, and Miami is likely on the line as well. Sunday's winner will almost certainly, barring the Southeast Division title coming into play, earn the top spot in any three-way tiebreaker scenario between the three teams.

If it feels like there's a lot to be gained from one game, it's because there is. The winner of Pacers-Heat will control their own destiny for the sixth seed — the loser will have to hope for losses elsewhere to avoid the Play-In Tournament, and they also have to hold off Embiid's surging team.

"I think all these games are like that. I think the last 10, 11 games of the season, every game matters," Pacers forward Pascal Siakam said Friday night.

Siakam represents a wrinkle in the Heat-Pacers season series. He had not yet been traded to Indiana during the first two meetings, so it's hard to take much away from those battles. Additionally, Haliburton only played in one of the two duels, and Bruce Brown was the Pacers leading scorer when they beat the Heat in December. He's with the Toronto Raptors now.

Miami has made trades, too. Both groups look different. Most of the faces are the same — McConnell, Obi Toppin, Myles Turner, Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, and Jaime Jaquez were all solid at some point during the opening two games in the regular season series. They will all be important again tonight.

But it's reasonable to assume that Sunday's matchup won't look the same as the pair of high-scoring battles that took place in 2023. Both teams reached 129 points in those games, with the winner scoring more than 140 each time. With Indiana improving on defense as the season has progressed and Miami having their tricky zone defenses to toss into the action, it's hard to imagine either group putting up those kinds of numbers on the scoreboard tonight.

Instead, the little things will matter. Hard screens, effective cuts, connected defense, and other basic yet valuable skills will go a long way in determining who wins.

Miami has the experience. They've been in the NBA Finals twice in the last half decade. Indiana has almost no experience — they are young, and they want to play fast. That dichotomy could end up being important.

"We need to bring that energy that we brought [Friday] on both ends of the floor," McConnell said. Siakam agreed. "Every possession, we've got to go out and give everything we've got."

The Pacers haven't been to the playoffs since the NBA bubble back in 2020. But with an All-Star point guard in Haliburton leading the way and a talent like Siakam at the four, Indiana is ready to be a postseason force again. They have secured their first winning record in four years this season.

To achieve their playoff goals, they essentially need to win against the Heat. It isn't a requirement, but it's close. "Go out there and hoop man... It's the best time of the year," Pacers center Myles Turner, who has been with Indiana for multiple playoff runs, said of compartmentalizing the importance of this game.

A young Indiana team will be feeling the pressure tonight. The Pacers will hope to shrug it off against the Heat.

---

• Tyrese Haliburton sets Indiana Pacers single-season franchise assist record on a night the Pacers needed him. CLICK HERE.
• After setting many Mad Ants franchise records, Pacers center Oscar Tshiebwe won the 2024 G League Rookie of the Year. CLICK HERE.
• Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle passes Red Auerbach, moves to 12th in NBA All-Time coaching wins. CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Pacers get back on track with an impressive win over Oklahoma City Thunder. CLICK HERE.
• Follow AllPacers on Facebook: All Pacers SI
• Follow AllPacers on Twitter: @SIPacers