Miami Heat vs Indiana Pacers Prediction: The Heat back in groove, Pacers wilting

NBA action heads to Christmas and as the celebrations begin worldwide, these busy NBA athletes continue to have their jobs lined up at a challenging rate. For the fans, the NBA festive season only brings more glory and we are in for a loaded slate. In this pre-Christmas match-up, the Miami Heat are going to host the Indiana Pacers.

The Heat enters the scene after losing 103:113 against the Chicago Bulls despite 27 points and 12 rebounds from Bam Adebayo. This loss curbed a four-game winning streak and the Heat now have 16 wins and 16 losses. This is a shabby return for the team after they were among the top teams last season and this season, the Heat has exposed too many vulnerabilities against all sorts of squads. However, their experience and incredible two-way talent make for a threatening prospect and they cand end up making a decent Playoff run. As of now, they need more consistency from Lowry and better performances to close out games.

The Pacers come into this affair after defeating the Celtics 117:112 as Tyrese Haliburton dropped 33 points and eight assists. Despite the win, the Pacers have flipped the script, they began the season with 10 wins and six losses but have just six wins and ten losses since then, making for 16 wins and 16 losses record. Their defense has been vulnerable but their offense has been deep. Haliburton is the assists-per-game leader while averaging 20 points. Buddy Hield has shot close to 40% from three-point line whereas Myles Turner is a dependable two-way Center. The rookie class of AJ Nembhard and Benedict Mathurin has shown out in big ways too.

• Heat: OUT: Omer Yurtseven. QUESTIONABLE: Caleb Martin, Udonis Haslem, Gabe Vincent. PROBABLE: Jimmy Butler, Dewayne Dedmon;
• Pacers: OUT: Daniel Theis, Kendall Brown. Game-Time Decisions: Tyrese Haliburton, Aaron Nesmith.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Bam Adebayo(22-26 Points), Tyrese Haliburton(20-25 Points)-QUES;
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Bam Adebayo(10-13 Rebounds), Jalen Smith(8-10 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Tyrese Haliburton(10-14 Assists)-QUES, Tyler Herro(4-7 Assists).

The Heat is not having a reputable season, they started slow and they have refused to get back on track and are rather lucky to have a 50% win record, having one of the least reliable offenses in the league. The Pacers despite their lack of experience and star power have managed the same record so they have exceeded expectations in more ways than not. Jimmy Butler will be a difficult match-up for the Pacers, which has a rather weak defense. I back the Heat to win big here. I predict a scoreline of 115:105 in their favor.