GAME PREVIEW: Miami hosts Indiana at AA Arena

Game Info

When: Sunday, November 19 at 5:00 p.m. ET

Where: American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL

TV: Fox Sports Sun, NBALP

Probable Starters

HEAT: Goran Dragic, Dion Waiters, Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow, Hassan Whiteside

PACERS: Darren Collison, Victor Oladipo, Bojan Bogdanovic, Thaddeus Young, Myles Turner

Injury Report

Heat: Rodney McGruder (leg fracture), Okaro White (foot fracture)

Pacers: Glenn Robinson III (ankle), Edmond Sumner (knee)

Game Notes

The Heat aiming to reach .500 for the season before they take on the Boston Celtics Wednesday night.

A win over Indiana would put Miami in 10th place ahead of the Pacers. In their previous win over Indiana, 112-108, on Oct. 21, James Johnson threw down this highlight dunk against Oladipo.

Covers lists the Heat as 4.5 point favorites, with the public saying Miami has a 72% chance to win, and 100% of the experts see them winning.

Pacers.com writes, “Indiana has now won three of its last four contests to climb back to .500 and now has a winnable two-game road trip with visits to Miami and Orlando (8-7).”

After logging a team high 36 minutes Friday, starter fatigue may have set in for Richardson: he’s the only player (non-injured) with a point per shot (PPS) average under 1.00 (0.993), and a single digit PER (6.5). Since starting every game this season his FG% has gone down, from 45% as a rookie, to 36% this season, his 3P%, from 46%, to 29%, and EFG% from 55% to 44% now.

A 8-man rotation may lead to less turnovers, but the downside is second-half fatigue, both physically and mentally. By the fourth quarter players run out of gas. Cars can’t go anywhere on an empty tank, regardless of our wishes. The mind shuts down from lack of energy causing turnovers, fouls and sloppy play. Can’t blame the players because their bodies have been pushed beyond its limits.

With the Celtics coming into town next, this contest has some urgency.