Injury Plagued Heat Look For Second Straight Win As Pacers Come To Town
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MIAMI (CBSMiami/SportsDirect) – As has been the case on most nights, the Miami Heat will have their hands full once again.
The Indiana Pacers still can't seem to decide what kind of team they want to be, but at least they're finding ways to win.
The Pacers will try to push their winning streak to three in a row when they open a three-game road trip by visiting the Heat on Wednesday.
Indiana has yet to win three in a row this season but put together one of its better defensive efforts in holding Charlotte to 33.3 percent from the floor on Monday and pulled one game over .500 for the first time since winning the season opener against Dallas.
"I think we're headed in the right direction," point guard Jeff Teague told reporters. "Guys are playing with one another and playing together on the defensive end and it's carrying over into the offense. We're starting to believe in one another and trust one another on the floor."
Miami is battling through a plethora of injuries but opened a six-game homestand by snapping a five-game slide with a 112-101 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday.
The Heat are leaning on stars Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside to get them through the rash of injuries, and both came through with strong performances on Monday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN, FSN Indiana, FSN Sun (Miami)
ABOUT THE PACERS (13-12): Some of Indiana's optimism stems from the rapid maturation of center Myles Turner, who buried four 3-pointers en route to 22 points in Monday's win while adding seven rebounds and four blocks.
"That's what the league has turned into and Myles is perfect for that," Pacers backup center Al Jefferson told the team's website in regards to Turner's 3-point shooting. "He can spread the floor and he can hit those shots. It's good to see him doing it on both ends. He's defending that rim, he's doing a good job."
Turner is averaging 18.5 points and is 8-of-13 from 3-point range in the last four games.
ABOUT THE HEAT (8-17): Dragic is doing everything he can to drag Miami into the win column and poured in 34 points on 14-of-23 shooting in Monday's triumph.
The 30-year-old is shooting 54 percent from the floor while averaging 24 points in the last five games but needed to score a season high and get 17 points and 16 rebounds from Whiteside to finally get the Heat a victory.
"We haven't talked, but we've been putting more responsibility on his shoulders," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters of Dragic. "He's accepted all of that. He's tireless. He's in such great shape right now, he's confident and he's comfortable. Guys want him to make plays for the team."
BUZZER BEATERS
- Pacers SG Monta Ellis (groin) sat out Monday and will miss Wednesday's game..
- Heat SF Justise Winslow (wrist) missed his 16th straight game on Monday but took part in shootaround and could be close to a return.
- The teams split four meetings last season, with Miami winning both of its games at home.
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