The Pacers were shorthanded on Friday, in Miami for their first NBA Cup game. And to make their situation even worse, forward Obi Toppin was an afternoon scratch after his back locked up on him before morning shootaround.
That left the Pacers without six players, including four of their top seven players: Tyrese Haliburton, Ivica Zubac, T.J. McConnell and Obi Toppin.
All 11 available players played at least 11 minutes, and they held their own for the first 17 minutes. The Pacers led 54-46, but then the Heat went on a 34-9 run to take control of the game.
The Pacers trailed by as many as 25 in a 145-125 loss at Kaseya Center. And because it was an NBA Cup game, Miami played its starters inside of two minutes remaining — and then the Pacers used a timeout to draw up a play with 1.8 seconds to go, despite trailing by 20.
There wasn’t much good from the Pacers in this one. Quenton Jackson led the Pacers with 24 points, and Andrew Nembhard finished with 22 points and nine assists in 30 minutes. Former (and potentially future) Pacer James Johnson, who resides in Miami, was in the building for the game.
The Pacers’ limited roster allowed for rookie guard Braden Smith to score his first career point at the free-throw line with 2.6 seconds left in the third quarter. Fun, too, because it came against Giannis Antetokounmpo — and we all remember #GameBallGate up in Milwaukee a few years ago.
