Pacers, Heat Ready To Go Again

After success in Game 1, Roy Hibbert, Paul George and the Indiana Pacers will again look to upset the Miami Heat in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday.

Having made it look easy in the series opener, the Indiana Pacers host the Miami Heat in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday.

Tip-off at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.

Sunday afternoon’s curtain-raiser saw something most people never expected; the Pacers jumping out to a big lead and making the Heat look very ordinary.

With Miami downsizing its lineup, the Pacer bigs came out banging. Roy Hibbert, who is finally starting to resemble the Roy Hibbert that has given the Heat matchup problems over the last few years, finished the game with 19 points, just one of the six Pacer players to score in double digits. David West matched his tally.

Paul George led the team with 24 points. Lance Stephenson added 17, George Hill 15, and C.J. Watson scored 11 off the bench.

Miami got 27 points from Dwyane Wade; LeBron James added a double-double (25pts, 10rebs) and Chris Anderson had 14 hard-fought points off the bench. But Chris Bosh scored just nine while struggling at both ends of the floor. The seriously undersized center will need a lot of help defensively going forward.

The Pacers shot 8-of-19 from three-point range, including 7-of-9 to start the game. They also earned a 38-29 rebounding edge.

Perhaps the most telling stat was the discrepancy in free throws. While the Heat had more points in the paint and fast break points, the Pacers shot 22 more free throws than their opponents, and had a +19 advantage in free throws made.

Now, with Game 1 in the books, both sides will look to take the ‘W’ when they take to the hardwood in Indianapolis on Tuesday.

The Pacers will enter the game aware that the sort of offensive prowess displayed in Game 1 – the team’s best output this postseason – won’t necessarily carry over. It felt like the Pacers couldn’t miss in a 55-point first half on Sunday, but a team that’s been hugely inconsistent over the last two months cannot rely on the same happening on Sunday.

Head coach Frank Vogel will likely run the offense through Hibbert and West again, taking advantage of Miami’s lack of size inside. Even a switch from Shane Battier to Udonis Haslem in the second half on Sunday couldn’t stop the Pacers pick-and-roll offense.

Meanwhile, Miami will look to find a way to neutralize the size advantage. Head coach Eric Spoelstra will hope for a better outing from Bosh, while James is likely to place the Heat on his broad shoulders and look to take over. Expect plenty of dribble drives and free throw attempts from the four-time Most Valuable Player.

Most expect Spoelstra to start Haslem from the off on Tuesday, with some believing he will be the key to slowing down the Pacers’ front court. Whether or not that is the case remains to be seen.

Sunday’s victory marked the first time Indiana had won a Game 1 against Miami since 2004. Indiana won Game 2 that year too, before going on to win the series 4-2.

Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers odds for 05/20/2014

Despite playing on the road, and despite having been comfortably beaten in Game 1, Miami (-140) opened as the favorite over Indiana (+135) on the moneyline.

At time of publication, Miami’s advantage had increased further, with TopBet listing the defending champions at -155.

With Sunday’s win, the Pacers moved to 3-0 when playing at home against the Heat this season. They’ve also won five straight at home against the Heat.

The victory also improved the Pacers’ home record against the Heat during postseason play to 7-3.

Bettors that like to pay heed to history before laying down cash should consider the following; Indiana is 3-0 when playing Miami in Game 2 of a playoff series.

But then again, Miami hasn’t lost back-to-back playoff games since the 2012 Eastern Conference finals, 39 games ago.

The spread opened at 2 and has climbed as high as 3 with some sportsbooks.

Indiana (7-7-0 ATS) hasn’t fared as well against the spread as Miami (6-4-0 ATS) this postseason, but did cover the spread in Sunday’s upset victory.

The Pacers are 4-1-0 ATS in their last five home games against the Heat.

The total opened at 183.5 and has climbed as high as 185.

Miami (8-2-0) has favored the over this postseason, while Indiana (5-9-0) has favored the under. The over paid out in Sunday’s series opener.

The total has gone over in 12 of the last 18 meetings between the two sides.

Following Tuesday’s game, the series switches to Miami for a pair with Game 3 of the series scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday (May 24).

 

For a full list of upcoming NBA Playoffs odds, click here.

For the latest NBA futures odds, click here.

For the latest NBA team prop bets, click here.

For the latest NBA player prop bets, click here.