This is not the start to the season the Indiana Pacers were hoping for.
The injuries have already piled up, and so far, the losses have followed. On Friday night, a strong start in Miami proved to be only a tease, as the Heat dominated the final three quarters and defeated the Pacers by a final score of 145-125.
Here are some takeaways from Indy's fourth loss of the season.
Injuries are an issue across the entire league right now, but the Pacers continue putting out injury reports that are entirely too long. We knew about Tyrese Haliburton missing at least a few weeks, and we've known his backup TJ McConnell hasn't played a game yet this season. Ivica Zubac has missed three straight games, and on Friday night, Obi Toppin joined the club with back spasms.
The Pacers had 11 available players in this game, and it was their fourth game in six days, in three different cities. With so many teams struggling in the health department, no one is going to feel sorry for this team, but they are really hoping to get their main group on the floor together soon. The good news for the Pacers is that each injury isn't considered long term outside of Ben Sheppard.
Oct 30, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (2), Indiana Pacers guard Aaron Nesmith (23), and forward Jalen Slawson (18) dive for a ball during the first quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Isabella Frias-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
This is a long-running joke for Pacer fans online whenever the team fails to play defense. The Miami Heat got whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted in this game. They went 18-for-40 from three, and shot nearly 60% from the field for the game.
The Pacers shot well from three for the first time in a while, but it didn't matter because of the lack of defense. At one point, the Heat outscored the Pacers 62-31. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for the Heat with a triple-double. He had 31 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists. Bam Adebayo and Klay Thompson also had big games, combining for 52 points on 20-for-38 from the field. It was a bad night to catch the Heat after their poor 1-4 start to their season.
Nembhard is back in a familiar role as the starting point guard while Haliburton is out. After 18 points and 14 assists on Wednesday, Nembhard followed that up with 22 points, and 9 assists in Miami. He shot 8-for-16 including 5-for-8 from behind the arc.
For a team that is struggling with depth and defense, however, it doesn't help that Nembhard has to expend so much energy on the offensive end. This team will be at its best when Nembhard can guard the top scorer while contributing to the offense in spurts.
It's hard to judge a team that has five key players out. At the same time, the losses still count. One thing to remember: the Pacers were 10-15 through the first 25 games a few years ago, before going on to win the Eastern Conference. There's still plenty of time, but this team won't want to dig too big of a hole this time around.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/pacers/onsi as Undermanned Pacers overmatched by Giannis, Heat .
