Facing elimination, the Indiana Pacers were not going away without a fight. Just like the other games this series, the Miami Heat jumped out to a double-digit lead and did enough to close the game down the stretch. With the win, Miami advances to the Eastern Conference Semifinals and will face the winner of the Milwaukee Bucks vs Orlando Magic series.
Here are my four takeaways from the Heat’s Game 4 win over the Pacers.
Goran Dragic leading the way
For the fourth straight game, Dragic has scored 20 or more points. With Jimmy Butler down in the first half, Dragic kept the Heat ahead of the Pacers. And when it was closing time, Dragic came through. He attacked the basket and converted on a couple of jumpers off the pick and roll action. Dragic had 13 points in the fourth period.
🐉 @Goran_Dragic knows what time it is.#INDvsMIA: 🔥 up 82-73 with 6:35 left in the 4thQ pic.twitter.com/iFNTFSIlMO
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) August 25, 2020
Dragic finished the game with a team-high 23 points, five rebounds, and three steals.
Herro comes through
Heat rookie guard Tyler Herro continues to play well in his first postseason. He’s been playing so well that he’s become a part of the Heat’s closing lineup. He had seven points in the fourth period to help Miami stave off the Pacers comeback. Most importantly, he gave the team some extra possessions in the final stretches of the game. Check out this nice scoop layup by Herro in the critical moment of the game.
Tyler Herro brought out the jelly 🍇 pic.twitter.com/CKar021EMp
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 25, 2020
Herro finished the night with 16 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
Staying ready
As Udonis Haslem would say, ‘stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.’ Miami Heat rookie guard Kendrick Nunn has been listed as DNP-CD(Did not play-coach’s decision) for the first three games of the series. But in Game 4, Nunn finally got his opportunity and immediately made an impact. Nunn got a couple of buckets and dish off some assists to his teammates. He also played hard on the defensive end.
Nunn finished the game with seven points, two rebounds, and three assists
Heat bench dominating
Miami’s depth was on full display on Monday as their bench dominated the Pacers bench. At halftime, the Heat had a huge 25-3 advantage in bench scoring. It got even worse in the end as the Heat outscored the Pacers’ bench by a huge 41-3 margin. The three points scored off of Indiana’s bench came from Doug McDermott.
The team’s other three bench players went a combined 0-3 from the field. The lack of bench scoring from the Pacers bench hurt the team in the end. It’s one of the reasons why the team was held to 87 points in an elimination game.
Next: The second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Heat will await the winner of the Milwaukee Bucks vs Orlando Magic series.
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Main Image Credit:
https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nba/miami-heat/article244815077.html
