The Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat find themselves in a neck-and-neck race for one of the most important playoff spots in the Eastern Conference as we enter the final days of the 2023-24 regular season. And as luck would have it, the two squared off on Sunday afternoon with plenty on the line, and it was Indiana who wound up winning the important game to create some distance between them and Miami.
Pacers Take Down Heat, Remain In The 6th Spot In The East
BEAT THE HEAT 🔥#PacersWin pic.twitter.com/eCMI9yiX0N
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) April 7, 2024
The Bulls and Hawks are locked in to the 9th and 10th seeds, but there are three teams that are battling to stay out of the other Play-In Tournament game. The 6th seed is the current goal for the Philadelphia 76ers to go along with the Pacers and Heat, and the three entered Sunday’s action within a game of each other.
Indiana had the better record of the three, and were the ones in the driver’s seat for the 6th spot coming into the day. But the gap between them and Miami was just a half-game, and the Heat had a chance to overtake them if Jimmy Butler and company were able to come up with a road victory as a 2.5-point underdog.
Butler did his part, putting up 27 points to lead all scorers, while adding 8 rebounds and 7 assists. The Heat got two 20-point efforts off of their bench, too, as Caleb Martina and Tyler Herro both shot well, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a balanced scoring effort from the Pacers. Indiana had seven players score in double figures on the night, led by TJ McConnell’s 22 on 11 of 14 shooting off of the bench.
Pacers Now A Game Back Of The 5th Spot
PACERS WIN. pic.twitter.com/6my505pzRa
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) April 7, 2024
The win by the Pacers lengthens the gap between them and the Heat. They remain in the 6th spot, and are now 1.5 games up on Miami, who actually finished the night as the #8 seed after the 76ers double overtime victory over the Spurs.
It also helps Indiana creep closer to the 4th seed and home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The 5th placed Cavaliers have now lost three straight and are 3-7 in their last 10, and are now just a single game above Indiana in the standings. The two will play against one another this coming Friday in a game that could ultimately decide the final seeding.
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