Pacers at Heat
THE STORY: NBA experts say the way to beat the Miami Heat is to overwhelm them with suffocating defense and a strong frontcourt. The Indiana Pacers may be built to do just that as they pay a visit to South Beach in a marquee Wednesday night matchup. The Pacers have been one of the early-season surprises, boasting a 4-1 mark to rank among the leaders in the Eastern Conference. Indiana has one of the most impressive front-court combinations in the league, with 7-foot-2 center Roy Hibbert flanked by star power forward David West and scoring machine Danny Granger. The trio hasn't yet hit on all cylinders, but has done more than enough to lead the team to a vitally fast start. Indiana's defense has been its strength, allowing just 89 points per game so far. The Heat suffered their first loss of the season last time out, dropping a 100-92 decision to the Atlanta Hawks. Wednesday marks the conclusion of a three-game homestand.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Indiana, Sun Sports
ABOUT THE PACERS (4-1): Indiana is winning games despite struggling mightily on the offensive end. The team is shooting just over 41 percent from the field, ranking it near the bottom of the NBA. Granger leads the team with 17 points per game, but that number is well below his 20.5-point average of a season ago. West has also stumbled to open the campaign, averaging just 12.4 points on 40.7-percent shooting through five games.
ABOUT THE HEAT (5-1): As if Clevelanders didn't have enough reason to hate the Heat. Rookie Norris Cole has been a pleasant surprise in the Miami lineup, complementing the Big Three with solid shooting and great peripheral numbers. The Cleveland State grad is averaging 11.7 points on 50.9-percent shooting, and has thrown in 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals in just under 23 minutes per game. If his hot play continues, he could be in line for some starts.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Miami won two of three meetings between the teams last season and has gone 6-1 in the last seven encounters overall.
2. Heat SF LeBron James saved some of his best work for the Pacers, averaging 31 points and eight rebounds in last year's head-to-head series.
3. Granger has made just eight of his last 29 shots spanning the Pacers' previous two games.