INDIANAPOLIS — The previous time the Miami Heat played on the road, they went down 22 to the Sacramento Kings, rallied within one, before coming up short.
This time the deficit reached 16, stood at 12 at halftime and a rally again only got them with one.
So make it three consecutive road losses and a 4-6 record after Friday night’s 101-99 loss to the Indiana Pacers and Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
It wasn’t for a lack of trying by Tyler Herro, who led the Heat with 29 points. The Heat also got 18 points and 10 rebounds from Bam Adebayo, as well as 17 points from Max Strus and 15 from Gabe Vincent.
In the injury absence of Jimmy Butler, who missed a second consecutive game with hip soreness, it wasn’t enough.
The Pacers got 25 from Buddy Hield, 23 from Bennedict Mathurin and 22 from Tyrese Haliburton.
The game was decided off a Heat inbounds play down 101-99 with 7.6 seconds left and out of timeouts.
On the play, the Heat went to Herro, with Wednesday night’s hero against the Kings at FTX Arena this time off on a 3-pointer.
Five Degrees of Heat from Friday’s game:
— 1. Closing time: The Heat led 29-28 after the first period, trailed 62-50 at halftime and then went into the fourth quarter within 80-77.
The deficit was reduced to one early in the fourth, before the Pacers pushed back up by eight.
But a Vincent 3-pointer with 5:35 left tied it 94-94.
From there, a Hield 3-pointer with 3:22 to play for a 97-94 Indiana lead, with a driving Haliburton layup to make it 99-94.
Herro got to the line with 1:20 left, with his free throws getting the Heat within 99-96.
Eventually it stood 100-97 with the Heat in possession following a timeout with 21.6 seconds to play.
Herro then briefly lost the ball on a 3-point attempt, with Strus initially credited with a layup on a goaltend, a play that led to replay, and with the basket overturned.
That led to a Heat inbounds play with 10.1 seconds to play down three, a sequence that sent Herro to the line with 8.4 seconds left, where his free throws got the Heat within 100-99.
The Heat then fouled Mathurin with 7.6 seconds to play, with the Indiana rookie missing the first of his two free throws and making the second, to leave it at 101-99 for a Heat timeout.
That set up the deciding sequence.
— 2. Bam can: At one point Friday, it appeared the Heat might have to turn to the 6-7ish likes of Caleb Martin, Haywood Highsmith or Jamal Cain as the starting center.
That was when, with Omer Yurtseven, Nikola Jovic and even Butler previously ruled out, the Heat had Adebayo and Dewayne Dedmon listed as questionable, Adebayo with a knee bruise, Dedmon with a foot issue.
Instead, Adebayo started at center for the 10th time in as many games, spelled by Dedmon, who had missed two games last week.
Adebayo had to play through foul trouble, including his fourth with 9:25 to play.
— 3. Can’t shoot straight: The Heat stood 5 of 24 on 3-pointers at halftime. By comparison, Hield was 4 of 7 on threes at that stage for the Pacers.
Herro, at 2 of 6, was the lone Heat player with more than one first-half 3-pointer. With that second 3-pointer he moved past Josh Richardson for 10th place on the all-time Heat list.
Early in the third period, Herro was 4 of 9 on 3s, the rest of the Heat 3 of 19.
The Heat went into the fourth 9 of 35 on 3s, including 0 for 6 by Duncan Robinson and 1 of 6 by Kyle Lowry.
The Heat closed 11 of 39 from beyond the arc.
— 4. Strus surge: Down 10 midway through the third period, the Heat drew within 73-70 on a Strus seven-point surge.
First there was a Strus 3-pointer, then a Strus steal and transition layup, and, finally, another Strus driving layup off a strong cut that led to a Pacers timeout.
— 5. Vincent boost: Vincent again provided solid minutes, stepping up on a night when Lowry could not hit a shot.
Vincent closed 6 of 10 from the field, Lowry 1 of 9.
