The Indiana Pacers did their all to nearly pull off an impressive comeback in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference NBA Playoffs against the Miami Heat late this past week. But unfortunately for the Pacers faithful, their massive second-half surge came up just short, which now means the team has fallen into a 3-0 hole entering a win or go home Game 4 on Monday in the NBA’s Orlando bubble at Disney’s Wide World of Sports.
After the Heat jumped out to a 74-56 halftime lead in Game 3, the Pacers began the second half on a 12-2 run and proceeded to cut the Miami lead to just two points on three separate occasions. But each time they did, the Heat rallied and were able to pull away late to pick up an impressive 124-115 win.
Now, Jimmy Butler and the surging Heat will look to secure their place in the second round of the playoffs on Monday, and on paper, they appear to be a strong bet to close out the series. The Heat won each game by nine or more points behind the play of Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic, Bam Adebayo, and an impressive group of sharpshooters and talented defenders.
Game 4 betting line & odds
Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat (-6.5 at -110)
Betting line and odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Miami has simply been too much through three games for the Domantas Sabonis-less Pacers, and it doesn’t appear their big man will be back anytime soon, and certainly not on Monday. Even with the strong play of Malcolm Brogdon, TJ Warren, and a few others, Indiana has been unable to come up with an answer for this talented Miami group.
Warren specifically has been a noteworthy name, after he poured in 53 points against the Philadelphia 76ers to start his time in the bubble, and then went on to top 32 or more points in three other games.
The rivalry Warren has built with Heat star Jimmy Butler hasn’t provided as many fireworks as fans likely hoped, and Butler has gotten the best of his rival for the most part in this series. While Warren has shot 44.4 percent from the field or better in each game, he’s gone 0-8 from three-point range in the past two games and has scored 22, 14, and 23, respectively.
Warren will be a key part of the Pacers keeping this series alive on Monday, and without a stellar scoring performance from him, the Heat will be primed to advance to the second round.
Prediction & Pick
As much as I’d love to see Butler and Warren’s rivalry ramp back up and have this series move to a Game 5, the Heat’s ability to overcome Indiana’s comeback effort last game was a big deal. The Pacers appeared to be in a good spot to complete that comeback and possibly shift the momentum in this playoff series, but when they fell short and moved into a 3-0 hole, it likely sealed their fate.
The big question becomes whether the Pacers will be able to come out and put the pressure on Butler and the Heat to force another game. Considering how the rest of the series has gone, and the fact that the Heat nearly won by double-digits after the Pacers made a comeback, it’s hard not to stick with Miami to close out this series by around double-digits.
We’ll take the Heat and project them to cover the current spread.
Pick: Miami Heat -6.5 at -110
