Heat Today: Bam Adebayo, rest of team eyes early solutions before facing Pacers

The Miami Heat head to Indiana eyeing an opportunity to bounce back. Having lost three of their last four, the Heat are only 1.5 games out of third place in the East, where only all but three teams sit under .500 entering Friday. Miami can also heighten its chase for the Emirate NBA Cup .

This matchup marks the fourth game of the Heat's six-game road trip. It has been one of trial and error, but it's also provided lessons as Miami deals with Jimmy Butler's absence and recovers from a few late-game miscues. Wednesday's error against the Piston — when coach Erik Spoelstra signaled for a timeout the team didn't have, leading to game-ending free throws by Detroit after a technical foul — was probably a key turning point for Miami's up-and-down start, which the team hopes to begin remedying in Indiana.

Defensive lapses like Wednesday's are uncanny for Miami, which enters Friday ranked 14th in defensive efficiency. Last season, Miami finished fifth in points allowed per 100 possessions. The team hasn't finished lower than 12th since 2014-15 (21st). One of the Heat's early issues has simply been possession control. They're currently 19th among all teams in defensive rebound rate after ranking third just a season ago.

"We get them to take a tough shot, and they miss it, and they get a relief basket because we don't box out, or we miss a box out, or we fall asleep,"Bam Adebayo said of the team's defense through 10 games. "You exchange just that, I feel like we're a top-five defense."

Fortunately for Miami, Indiana enters today ranked dead last in second-chance points scored this season (8.9), so the boards should be safe. But grabbing rebounds is harder when the opponent makes shots too, and the Pacers sport the league's second-best true shooting percentage in home games (62.4). Only the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers have a better mark so far (64.1).

Game preview: Miami Heat (4-6, 3-3 on road) at Indiana Pacers (5-6, 3-1 at home)

Last Heat game: Detroit Pistons 123, Heat 121 (OT)

Heat last 10 meetings vs. Pacers: Both teams are 5-5; Indiana has won two straight

Last meeting: Pacers 117, Heat 115 in Indiana on April 7

Key Heat injuries: Jimmy Butler (ankle)

Key Pacers injuries: James Wiseman (Achilles), Isaiah Jackson (Achilles), Andrew Nembhard (knee), Aaron Nesmith (ankle)

Key factors

Two Heat players to watch

Haywood Highsmith: As discussed yesterday , Highsmith has become one of Miami's most valuable role players. He's shooting 80 percent on 2s and making a respectable 36.2 percent of his 3-point attempts on the season. Without Butler in the lineup, and a few other Heat players still seeking their respective rhythms, Highsmith has fit in quite well alongside Adebayo and Tyler Herro . The team has a net rating of plus-14.7 when he's played alongside Adebayo and Herro (17 minutes). The 27-year-old wing's 26 deflections in that span lead the team. He will be key to slowing down Indiana's offense.

Bam Adebayo: Although Adebayo spoke on the team's defense improving, his offense remains invaluable as well, especially given his standing as Miami's most consistent frontcourt scoring option. He has two 20-point outings in his last three games and is coming off his most efficient scoring performance of the season (61.5 percent on 13 attempts). He'll be matching up against Myles Turner, who remains one of the league's most consistent shot-blockers. Adebayo has averaged 19.3 points and 10.8 rebounds in his last four visits to Indiana.

Two Pacers players to watch

Tyrese Haliburton : This season has been up and down for Haliburton so far. He's coming off another odd shooting performance (nine points on 3-of-14 shooting). On the season, his true shooting percentage this season (50.7) is far off his career average (59.9). Some of that could be a matter of comfort, though. The two-time All-Star has been far more comfortable at home (61.2 ) compared to being on the road (42.8). Despite his shooting luck at home, that didn't translate much the last time these teams met, when Haliburton finished with 12 points on 3-of-10 shooting (2 of 7 from deep) in the Pacers win.

Myles Turner : Indiana continues sporting one of the NBA's most forgiving defenses (23rd entering Friday), so Turner's defensive presence remains important. His 1.8 blocks are on pace to tie the second-lowest mark of his career, but he often gives trouble to Adebayo. In the previous two seasons, Turner held the latter to just 43.1 percent shooting in head-to-head possessions, according to NBA.com. Offensively, Turner is shooting 40.7 percent from deep, which could draw Adebayo away from the basket and further undermine Miami's rebounding woes.

Why Miami can win

Simply put: Tyler Herro. The 2021-22 Sixth Man of the Year enters Friday enjoying the highest-scoring five-game stretch of his career (29 points per game). He's been red-hot on pull-up jumpers (52.5 percent overall, 45.2 from deep, per NBA.com) and is giving defenses only bad options when he has the ball in his hands. And things get tougher for opponents when Herro attacks the basket. He's shooting 54.4 when finishing his drives and has a 23:6 assist-to-turnover ratio when passing out of such situations. This season, Miami's offense has gone where Herro takes it.

Reasons for concern

No Butler will only make matters tougher for Miami, even with a sound chance to win. When these teams last met, the six-time All-Star had 27 points (game-high), seven rebounds, eight assists and a steal. Miami got 46 points from its bench, but 21 of them came from Herro, who now starts, and another 20 came from a player no longer on the roster (Caleb Martin). No Nikola Jović means the Heat will have a short-handed bench. The Heat will need all hands on deck to avoid falling further under .500.

( Top photo: Chris Schwegler / )