MIAMI, FL - DECEMBER 23: Kendrick Nunn #25 of the Miami Heat handles the ball during a game against the Utah Jazz on December 23, 2019 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Miami Heat will welcome the Indiana Pacers into their building Friday for a showdown on South Beach. What does NBA 2K20 have to say about the matchup?

Here at All U Can Heat, we’ve been running a prediction series using NBA 2K20 simulations of every Miami Heat game, and so far, the machine is undefeated. I repeat, the machine is undefeated. It predicted the loss against the Memphis Grizzlies (who really saw that coming?) and wins against the Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, and the Utah Jazz. It’s that time again, so lets put the 2K to the test and find out who comes out on top when the Indiana Pacers visit American Airlines Arena.

The Miami Heat close out their four-game homestand with a back to back against fifth-place Indiana, and fourth-place Philadelphia. This would be the perfect time to take a stand and differentiate themselves from lower-ranked teams in the Eastern Conference.

Heat fans have been treated to a high-performing, winning team so far this season. I say that because those NBA fans who have been used to writing the team off are slowly starting to wake up but may be in for some surprises when they matchup against Miami.

As of today, the Heat rank ninth in assists, points, and steals per game. They also rank fourth in field goal percentage and are tied for first in 3-point percentage with Utah.

For comparison last season, the team finished 26th in points per game, 22nd in field goal percentage, and 21st in 3-point percentage. Yikes! Subpar indeed.

It is nice to know some things never change. Last season the Heat ranked 23rd in turnovers per game. This season… 29th They seem to have cheated death so far this season, but they’re going to have to get that in check. Maybe head coach Erik Spoelstra will assign mandatory free-throw golf for everyone.

The Pacers are pretty much on par with where the general public thought they’d be at this point in the season with a few new faces and missing their All-Star guard Victor Oladipo. They’re currently ‘out of the money’ tied for the Eastern Conference’s fifth seed, but a treacherous schedule awaits them. Indiana could easily find themselves in seventh place if they’re not careful against their next four opponents in the form of the Miami Heat, New Orleans Pelicans, Philadelphia 76ers, and Denver Nuggets.

I expanded the Heat’s rotation to ten players and continued to distribute the minutes to mimic the action each player saw during Monday night’s win against the Utah Jazz. Afterward, I headed over to the coaching tab and moved up Spoelstra’s run zone tendency from five percent to 50 percent.

I also changed Bam Adebayo’s secondary position to power forward since Meyers Leonard’s positions look that way. Lastly, I edited Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, and Adebayo’s vitals to allow them to initiate the offense. Since I re-added Dragić to the rotation at his usual 6th man role, I slid Herro down two spots and gave Derrick Jones Jr the remaining minutes with Kelly Olynyk bringing up the rear.

Starting lineup

Miami Heat

Point guard, Kendrick Nunn

Shooting guard, Duncan Robinson

Small forward, Jimmy Butler

Power forward, Bam Adebayo

Center, Meyers Leonard

Indiana Pacers

Point guard, Malcolm Brogdon

Shooting guard, Aaron Holiday

Small Forward, T.J. Warren

Power Forward, Domantas Sabonis

Center, Myles Turner

OUTCOME

The Heat took a 21-19 lead late in the 1st quarter and never looked back. I guess that they didn’t want to be turned into a pillar of salt. Four 30-plus point quarters and just like that the game was over. They made light work of the Pacers with a final score of 135-100.

You may be surprised to be reading this, but “The Hammer” Meyers Leonard lead the team in scoring with a career-high 26 points. With only one 3-pointer attempted (and missed), Leonard ate the Pacers alive inside to his heart’s content. This would wind up being his sixth career game of over 20 points and a regular-season career-high. His overall best scoring output was in game four of last year’s Western Conference Finals, where he scored 30 points, but the Portland Trailblazers were eliminated from the playoffs.

Jimmy Butler continues to do Jimmy Butler things. He finished the game with 20 points but, more importantly, eight assists, eight rebounds, and two steals. His long-range shooting woes continued as he went 0-for-4 from beyond the arc. Why he keeps taking those shots? I have no idea, blame Ronnie.

If you want to see the simulation for yourself, check out the latest video on my YouTube channel. There I’ll be providing real-time analysis during the simulation as well as showing you the adjustments I made.

Player stats

Indiana Pacers

Malcolm Brogdon – 20 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals

Justin Holiday – 17 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

Aaron Holiday – 14 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals

Domantas Sabonis – 14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

T.J. Warren 12 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

Miami Heat

Meyers Leonard – 26 points (10-of-14 from the floor), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

Jimmy Butler – 20 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals

Duncan Robinson – 17 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist

Derrick Jones Jr. – 17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals

Tyler Herro – 16 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal

The Miami Heat cruised to their 23rd win of the season, and the Pacers didn’t seem to mad about it. All Heat players and personnel need to go to sleep early tonight because another big test awaits them Saturday night. The Philadelphia 76ers come to town, and the two teams will face off for the third time this season. I’m trying to see another Sixers meme from the Heat’s Instagram account. Let’s do this.