Miami Heat shut down Tyrese Haliburton as Indiana Pacers fall to .500

The Pacers are 14-14 and have lost two straight games.

INDIANAPOLIS — The Miami Heat have one of the best defenses in the NBA, and that was clear early on in their battle with the Indiana Pacers on Monday night. Indiana scored just 19 points in the first quarter, and they had 24 points halfway through the second quarter. The Heat's defense was excellent early.

But the Pacers are used to slow starts, and a big early deficit is nothing new. Over the final 5:30 of the second quarter, the blue and gold outscored Miami 18-4, and they were right back in the game.

In the second half, like with many Heat games, things got more physical. Miami defenders were aggressive. They switched more and mixed in difficult zone schemes. Altogether, that led to a low-scoring half. Miami's top-ten defense and Indiana's 21st-ranked defense were both playing at their best.

The Pacers were getting contributions from several guys — Andrew Nembhard, Myles Turner, and Buddy Hield were all effective, and that kept the Pacers in the game. With 3:30 to go, the Heat were up by just two points. Then, six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler took over.

The skilled wing scored seven points on three possessions to extend Miami's lead to nine. Given how low scoring the game was and how difficult it had become for the Pacers to score, that lead felt insurmountable.

And it was. The Pacers never reached the point total that the Heat crossed during Butler's surge and fell 87-82. According to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, it was the lowest scoring game in the NBA this season.

87 is the fewest points Indiana has allowed in one outing this season, they had only conceded fewer than 100 twice before this game. But 82 is far and away the lowest point total for the blue and gold this year, their previous low was 99. The Heat's defense was smothering.

"They were physical with us. Took us out of our game," Pacers center Jalen Smith said after the game. Smith went 0/4 from the field. "We know Miami, they're a scrappy defensive team."

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The Pacers played good defense themselves and got solid contributions from several members of the opening five. In fact, their non-Tyrese Haliburton starters scored 64 combined points, 78% of the team's total for the night. They were effective as a unit.

The bench struggled, though only slightly. The headliner for the blue and gold was the off night from the star guard Haliburton. He saw two defenders every time he came around a screen and had trouble breaking down Miami's zone. The 22-year old finished with a season-low one point and had his third-fewest assists of the year with six.

Haliburton was still a +7 in the +/- column thanks to his off-ball gravity and Nembhard's playmaking, but he had an off night when the blue and gold needed him to knock down some shots. The Heat defense deserves credit for slowing the talented guard.

"This is probably the worst game I've seen Tyrese play my whole career," Hield said. He and Haliburton have been teammates for all of Haliburton's career. "Watched his whole career. I was telling him 'this is your first [bad game]. I've had like 20'."

Turner had a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds, and he added four blocks. Hield was one rebound away, finishing with 19 points and nine boards. Nembhard also added 18 points.

The Pacers have now fallen back to .500 at 14-14. They will hope to climb back to a winning record on Wednesday when they host the defending champion Golden State Warriors.

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• Victor Oladipo on his return to Indiana: 'It definitely brings some nostalgia.' CLICK HERE.
• Inside Tyrese Haliburton's return to Sacramento and the emotions behind the game. CLICK HERE.
• Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs on Indiana Pacers rookie Andrew Nembhard: 'He has such a high basketball IQ.' CLICK HERE.
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