National Basketball Association

3 Takeaways From Heat-Pacers – Game 1

Published Aug. 18, 2020 7:49 p.m. ET

The Miami Heat knocked off the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday to take a 1-0 lead in their Eastern Conference first round series.

Here are 3 Takeaways from the series-opener:

1. Jimmy Butler 1, T.J. Warren 0

The Miami Heat had four players reach double-figures in the win, but All-Star small forward Jimmy Butler was the catalyst down the stretch.

Butler scored 10 of his game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter, even connecting on two threes in the final 3:26 after struggling from beyond the arc all season, shooting a paltry 24.4% from deep this year.

The Heat needed every one of Butler's buckets to outpace Indiana's T.J. Warren – Jimmy Buckets' archnemesis – who scored 19 of his 22 points through the first three quarters.

2. Is this series over?

It's only Game 1, but the Miami Heat have a history of success after taking a quick lead in the playoffs.

All-time, the Heat are 8-0 in the first round when they win Game 1, which amounts to bad news for Indiana.

Miami is now 4-5 in the bubble, but has faced off with Indiana three times already in Orlando, holding a 2-1 advantage over the Pacers and winning by an average of 17 points in those two victories.

3. Pacers lose second All-Star in Oladipo

The Pacers had four players score 10 or more on Tuesday, but none were All-Star guard Victor Oladipo.

The guard suffered an eye injury early in the first quarter and didn't return to the game, finishing his day with 4 points in 9 minutes.

The Pacers are already without All-Star forward Domantas Sabonis, who left the bubble with a foot injury, and it is unclear how much time Oladipo might miss with the injury.