Indiana Pacers vs Miami Heat Date and Time: Saturday, March 20,2021 5:30 AM IST Venue: AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami, FL. Prediction: Miami Heat Bookmaker: 1xbet
Two playoff hopefuls will clash for the first time in the 2020-21 NBA season when the Indiana Pacers lock horns with the Miami Heat at the AmericanAirlines Arena. The visiting Indian Pacers have a lot of ground to cover to return to the playoff picture. They have gone 2-8 in their last ten matchups, dropping to tenth place in the East after a 17-22 start to their campaign. Meanwhile, the resurgent Miami Heat have won five of their last six games to climb back to fourth place in the East.
The Indiana Pacers have made a nightmarish start to the second half of their campaign. After beating the Phoenix Suns by a solitary point on Sunday, the Indiana Pacers dropped consecutive games, doing so against the Denver Nuggets and the Brooklyn Nets, respectively. In the loss to the Nets, the Indiana Pacers saw as many as five players scoring in double digits, with Malcolm Brogdon leading the way with 24 points, while Domantas Sabonis produced a stellar triple-double effort. Nevertheless, the Pacers succumbed to their 22nd loss of the campaign.
The Miami Heat saw their five-game winning streak come to an end against the Memphis Grizzlies in their last outing. The Heat will look to put that loss behind them and return to winning ways against the Indiana Pacers. In other developments concerning the Miami Heat, the team is set to welcome their newest acquisition and former NBA champion Trevor Ariza to South Beach. Ariza will join another veteran elite, Andre Iguodala, as the two former champs will endeavor to take the Miami Heat back to the NBA Finals in the postseason.
The Indiana Pacers have failed to get their act together, especially in recent games, and enter this contest as the underdogs. Nate Bjorkgren’s side has the talent to turn the tide back in their favor but has not been able to find their groove of late. Domantas Sabonis will need to rediscover the form that earned him his second All-Star appearance if the Pacers are to stand a chance against an in-form Miami Heat team.
Meanwhile, the Miami Heat will once again look to Jimmy Butler to guide them to victory. Bam Adebayo, who was snubbed for the All-Star game, will look to one-up Sabonis and Myles Turner in the post. The Miami Heat will look to live up to their favourites billing and continue their surge up the Eastern Conference standings. Jimmy Butler and Malcolm Brogdon could potentially explode for a big outing on the match.
