Written by Rohit Ghosh
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Miami Heat vs Indiana Pacers: Game 6

It requires some late-game heroics, but the Indiana Pacers got it done – they won game 5 93-90 at home to extend the series and keep their championship hopes alive. Indiana found themselves down by nine points at halftime, but used the third quarter to bring the momentum back to their site. After outscoring Miami by 16 points in the third, the Pacers were led by Paul George in the fourth to secure the victory. George scored 21 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter. With the series now shifting back to Miami, Indiana will need a historic performance if they hope to push this series to a game 7 back in Indiana.

Indiana trailed by nine points at half, but outscored Miami by 16 points in the third period to overcome an 11-point deficit. Paul George exploded in the second half, particularly in the fourth quarter, scoring 21 in the frame – more than any other player for the entire game.



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Spurs vs Thunder: Betting Trends

AccuScore has top star-rated picks against the spread and on totals for Game 6… Click Here for Live NBA Odds & Expert Picks

AccuScore has the Miami Heat as solid 70 percent favorites to win game 6 of their best-of-seven series against the Indiana Pacers. The average score after 10,000 simulations is 94-89, with the Pacers having a 50.3 percent chance to covering the +7 spread. There is a 50.2 percent chance the total combined score stays UNDER 183.

Pacers Betting Trends

• Indiana is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games on the road.
• Indiana is 8-17 ATS in its last 25 games on the road.
• Indiana is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road.
• Indiana is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Miami.
• Indiana is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Miami.
• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana's last 6 games when playing Miami.
• Indiana is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Miami.
• Indiana is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Miami.
• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games when playing on the road against Miami.

Heat Betting Trends

• Miami is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games.
• Miami is 11-3 SU in its last 14 games.
• The total has gone OVER in 6 of Miami's last 8 games.
• Miami is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
• Miami is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
• The total has gone OVER in 6 of Miami's last 7 games at home.
• Miami is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Indiana.
• Miami is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Indiana.
• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Miami's last 6 games when playing Indiana.
• Miami is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Indiana.
• Miami is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Indiana.
• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Miami's last 5 games when playing at home against Indiana.

Projected Leaders

What to Watch For

The Indiana Pacers lead the league in both 3rd quarter margin and second-half margin. Their defense has been able to bring them back in games all season and that was exactly the case in game 5. Keep an eye on Indiana’s third-quarter performance, as it has been a key indicator all year.

Paul George had one of, if not his best playoff performance of his career. George finished with 37 points on 15-28 shooting, to go along with 6 steals and 6 assists. More crucial, however, was his and David West’s combined impact at the end of game 5. George and West combined to score the Pacers’ final 36 points of the game. While the results were clearly what they wanted, this strategy won’t work long term against a team like Miami. Game 6 will require a more balanced effort if the result is to be the same.

One of the biggest guarantees of game 6 is that LeBron James will have a phenomenal performance. Given the law of averages, he just has to. James was limited to 24 minutes because of foul trouble, and finished with a playoff career-low seven points (2-10 FG). It was only the second time in his career that he failed to reach double-digit scoring in the playoffs.