Story byIra Winderman, South Florida Sun-SentinelSun, January 11, 2026 at 2:25 AM UTC·4 min readINDIANAPOLIS – In theory, this should have been the best version of the Miami Heat. It was anything but. With Erik Spoelstra’s primary rotation whole for just the fourth time this season, what set up as a welcomed reunion became anything but. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementInstead, a 123-99 loss Saturday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to the NBA-worst Indiana Pacers. With Spoelstra moving to a starting lineup seemingly as talented as any started by the team this season, the response was an early 25-point deficit and a rally that fell short to the degree that the bench was emptied with eight minutes remaining and the Heat down 25. And this was supposed to be the easy part, with the Heat’s next four games against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics and then Thunder again. So make it two losses and a postponed game to start this trip, Thursday night’s two-hour delay before postponement at Chicago United Center no longer the most annoying aspect of the week away from Kaseya Center. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTuesday night’s trip-opening loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves was one thing; the Timberwolves are contenders. The only thing the Pacers are contending for is the No. 1 pick in June’s draft. Tyler Herro led the Heat with 21 points in his return to the starting lineup, but there were just 13 points from Bam Adebayo and only six from Norman Powell, whose career-best streak of double-figure games ended at 35. Five Degrees of Heat from Saturday night’s game:1.
