Miami Heat vs Indiana Pacers Picks and Predictions February 28th 2025

Heat Host Pacers, Look to Home-Court Advantage to Rise in Standings

So far this season, no team in the NBA has played fewer home games than the Miami Heat.

However, over the final 25 games, the Heat will be home for 17 of them, including Friday night when they are set to host the Indiana Pacers.

“It felt like we haven’t played here in forever,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after Miami beat the visiting Atlanta Hawks 131-109 on Wednesday. “But it’s set up for a really fun March. None of it is guaranteed just because we’re home, but it could be a lot of fun.”

If the season ended now, the Pacers would be in the playoffs as the fourth seed from the Eastern Conference. The Heat sit in eighth place—good for a play-in game—and are five games out of the final guaranteed playoff position behind the surprising Detroit Pistons.

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Heat Looking to Capitalize on Home Stretch

Spoelstra cautioned that the Heat—just 13-11 at home this season—can’t be too eager to make up the lost ground.

“We can’t get all these wins in one night,” Spoelstra said.

It helps, though, that the Heat have a tough-minded center in Bam Adebayo, who averages 16.9 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. He played Wednesday against the Hawks despite calf and back injuries, scoring 20 points and pulling down nine rebounds.

“Bam was banged up, but it shows how much he wants this,” Spoelstra said. “He was a force of nature with his physicality, effort, voice, spirit—all of that.”

Heat guard Davion Mitchell also had one of his best performances since joining the team, scoring 20 points against Atlanta.

“It’s super important,” Mitchell said of the upcoming Pacers game. “We will need the fans. We need everyone’s support.”

Mitchell shares the backcourt with Tyler Herro, who leads the Heat in scoring (24.0 points) and assists (5.7 per game).

Pacers Look to Keep Momentum Going

Meanwhile, the Pacers are coming off a 111-91 home win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.

Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton had a spectacular performance with game highs in points (33) and assists (11). He also had a game-high-tying three steals while shooting 12-of-15 from the floor and 7-of-9 from 3-point range.

Indiana has won two of three games against Miami this season but has an injury concern heading into Friday’s contest.

Backup point guard T.J. McConnell has missed two straight games due to a sprained right ankle. When healthy, McConnell is a key part of Indiana’s second unit, averaging 9.8 points and 4.5 assists while shooting 54.4 percent on two-pointers.

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If McConnell remains out, the Pacers will lean even more on their starting unit—Haliburton, Myles Turner, Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith, and Andrew Nembhard.

Siakam leads the Pacers in scoring (20.3 points) and rebounds (7.3). Turner averages 15.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and a team-high 1.9 blocks.

“There’s been a lot of unnecessary pressure on Tyrese,” Turner said. “He took his licks at the beginning of the season when everyone was talking crazy about him. He has weathered the storm. When he gets hot, it’s a fun night.”

Can Miami Take Advantage of Its Home-Court Edge?

With Miami looking to climb in the standings and Indiana aiming to secure its playoff positioning, this matchup carries significant implications.

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