Pacers hit the road after snapping home losing streak against
The Pacers finally sent the faithful home happy with a win and now have a week and a half remaining in the season as they head for Chicago.
The Pacers beat the Heat, 135-118 to earn their first home win since their back-to-back wins over the Bulls and Hawks in late January. The two-month home losing stretch has not diminished the enthusiasm at the Fieldhouse and against Miami, the faithful enjoyed an impressive close from the good guys as they ran away and secured the win in the fourth quarter.
Pascal Siakam rose up at winning time to lead the Pacers to a 28-11 advantage in the fourth quarter. Siakam score 10 of his 30 points, while grabbing 9 of his 11 rebounds for the game in the fourth quarter. Andrew Nembhard joined the fray midway through the fourth, making a key 3-ball and adding 6 points to fortify the final push for the win.
The Pacers had an unusual center rotation which worked out just fine in the end. To begin the game, the Pacers started three guards and no center with Jalen Slawson joining Siakam in the front court. Micah Potter had his shot going off the bench, making 5 of 6 threes and finishing with 21 points before giving way to Jay Huff in the second half. Huff didn’t enter the game until late in the third quarter but was an active participant in the fourth quarter fun with 6 points, 4 rebounds and a couple of blocked shots.
The center duo was part of a strong effort by the bench which combined to score 77 points. Obi Toppin helped with 12 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds in just over 14 minutes. TJ McConnell continued his stellar play of late with 15 points and 9 assists in about 18 minutes of burn. He even made a pair of threes. Kobe Brown played over 33 minutes and added 18 points with a trio of 3-balls, filling the stat sheet with 5 assists, 4 rebounds, a steal and a block.
The Heat played their starters heavy minutes and were lead by Tyler Herro’s 31 points. Although, there were some Herro plays late in the game which had me wondering if he’d consulted Jason Terry prior to the game. Some odd, sloppy plays that the Pacers were able to cash in on.
Now what?
The Pacers hit the road for their next three games starting on Wednesday night at the UC in Chicago where they will face the Bulls for the final time this season. The Pacers have now won 17 games and three of those W’s came against the Bulls in the prior three matchups.
The game in Chicago also moves the schedule to April, leaving the Pacers with 7 games remaining over the first 12 days of the month and then…the offseason. The Pacers are not fooling anyone at this point and currently sit tied with the Wizards for the worst record in the league with the Nets trailing the inverse standings with one more win followed by the Kings with two more wins.
As usual, the injury report will be a factor for the Pacers. The altered starting lineup against the Heat, with Ethan Thompson, Quenton Jackson and Nembhard joining Siakam and Slawson, didn’t last long together but ultimately didn’t prevent the Pacers from finding a way to win. It appears several key players will be out for the Pacers including Nesmith and Walker who missed the Heat game, along with Nembhard, McConnell. The Pacers may need hold a lottery to determine the starting lineup.
Pacers vs. Bulls
Where: United Center, Chicago, IL
When: Wednesday, April 1, 2026 - 8:00 p.m. ET
TV: FanDuel Sports Network
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
Odds: Pacers +4.5
Projected Starters
Pacers: Quenton Jackson, Ethan Thompson, Jalen Slawson, Pascal Siakam, Jay Huff
Bulls: Tre Jones, Josh Giddey, Isaac Okoro, Matas Buzelis, Leonard Miller
Injuries
Pacers: Pascal Siakam (knee) - probable, Obi Toppin (foot) - probable, Andrew Nembhard (lower back) - out, TJ McConnell (hammy) - out, Aaron Nesmith (lower back) - out, Jarace Walker (back bruise) - out, Ivica Zubac (ankle) - out, Johnny Furphy (knee) - out, Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) - out
Bulls: Nick Richards (elbow) - questionable, Guerschon Yabusele (ankle) - questionable, Anfernee Simons (wrist) - out, Jalen Smith (calf) - out, Zach Collins (toe) - out, Noa Essengue (shoulder) - out