1. First Quarter

Source:Getty

There are only four games left in the regular season, so every win for the Pacers is very important. The most important regular season game in a long time would happen tonight. The winner has an easy path to the sixth spot in the draft. In the first six minutes of the quarter, Indiana beаt Miami 18–9, thanks to a Myles Turner layup. Caleb Martin of Miami made a layup with 2:38 left in the quarter to cut Indiana’s lead to 29 – 22. At the end of the first quarter, the Pacers went on a 9-2 run. These nine points came from T.J. McConnell, Jalen Smith, and Obi Toppin. It was 38-24 when McConnell made a pull-up shot at the end of the quarter. Jimmy Butler scored the most points, with nine. Ten people played for Indiana in the first quarter, and five of them scored. Everyone on the team scored six points, but Tyrese Haliburton, McConnell, and Turner had the most.

2. Second Quarter

Source:Getty

After hitting a crаzy 66.7% in the first quarter, Indiana shot only 42.9% in the second quarter, which was more like it. At the start of the second quarter, both teams made baskets, but Miami’s first three-pointer, made on its tenth try, was made by Tyler Herro. With 8:15 left in the half, his three-pointer made it 44–33. After the break, Indiana went on a 10–0 run that ended with a Pascal Siakam layup that gave them their biggest lead of the game. They both scored four points during the run. Turner was in charge of the other two. With 3:02 left in the half, Indiana’s lead had sҺrunk to seventeen points. With forty seconds left, Siakam made a fadeaway shot that put Indiana ahead by 22 points. They scored the last five points of the half, but Indiana still had a 63-46 lead. With eight points in the second quarter, McConnell scored 14 points in the first half. Butler scored 13 points, which was the most for Miami. Turner had 11 points and 10 boards at the break.

3. Third Quarter

Source:Getty

It looked like Miami was going to make it another close game because of how they ended the first half and how hard it was for Indiana to make threes in the second. With a layup to start the second half, Andrew Nembhard made it 19 points, putting Indiana back ahead. With 8:09 left in the quarter, Bam Adebayo made two free throws to make the score 69–57. After Siakam and Turner made back-to-back threes, Indiana quickly went ahead by eighteen points again. Miami fought back into the game by making small gains, and after an 11-2 run, the score was tied at 10. With 4:59 left in the third, Butler made a field goal to end the run and make it 77–68. Rick Carlisle called a timeout, and his team scored five points to make the score 13–12. An after-the-fact three by Caleb Martin cut the lead to eight points with 2:21 left in the third. In the last 2:21 minutes, the Pacers scored five more points than the Heat, giving them a 91–78 lead after 36 minutes. Butler scored the most points, with 21. McConnell came in second with 18 points.

4. Fourth Quarter

Source:Getty

After stopping a few Miami runs in the third quarter, Indiana had to do it again for the whole fourth quarter. With 8:56 left, Adebayo made a field goal that made it 95–85. Nesmith and Siakam both made layups to give Indiana a 14-point lead again. After Martin made a field goal, Miami went on a 16–4 run that cut the lead to two points. With six points, Nikola Jovic was very important for Miami during that time. Indiana had a 103-101 lead with 3:21 left in the game. After Martin made a field goal, Haliburton made his first try at a two-point shot and made it. They made a stop, and Nesmith then made two free throws to make the score 107-101. Martin made a layup to cut the lead to four points. Then Siakam and Nesmith each made a three-point play, which put Indiana ahead 113-105 with 1:25 left. Then, with 23 seconds left in the game, Tyler Herro scored six straight points for Miami, making the score 113–111. Turner went to the line and made both of his free throws. With 17 seconds left, Herro made another three-pointer to make the score 115–114. To put Indiana ahead by three points, Nesmith went to the line and made his twenty-ninth straight free throw. After that, the Pacers fouled Herro with three points and six seconds left. He made the first one, but then he crossed the center line while trying to miss the second one. In order to win 117–115, all Indiana had to do was get the ball back and run out the time.

5. Top Performers

Source:Getty

Myles Turner (22p, 13r, 2b), T.J. McConnell (22p, 5a), Pascal Siakam (18p, 8r), Aaron Nesmith (16p, 5r, 3a), Obi Toppin (13p, 3r, 2a), Tyrese Haliburton (12p, 8a, 4r), and Andrew Nembhard (10p, 3s, 2r, 2a). For Miami, Jimmy Butler (27p, 8a, 7r), Tyler Herro (21p, 5r), Bam Adebayo (20p, 12r, 3a), Caleb Martin (20p), and Nikola Jovic (18p). For tonight’s full box score