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Highlights: Heat vs. Pacers
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Tuesday was not a good day for the Indiana Pacers. Not only did they lose Game 1 of their first-round playoff series for Eastern Conference with the Miami Heat, 113-101, but their star guard Victor Oladipo was injured in the process.
Later in the first quarter, Oladipo fought for a loose ball with Jae Crowder, when the Heat accidentally caught him in the eye. Although he initially stayed in the game to shoot his free throws, making both of them, Oladipo then left the game and did not return. Fortunately, he did not suffer any serious injuries, the team said announced later on Tuesday night.
“Initial evaluation showed no immediate concern and Oladipo will be inspected over the next few days,” the Pacers said in a statement. “His status is day to day.”
That’s great news for Oladipo and the Pacers, especially after the initial reports from head coach Nate McMillan, who said: “His vision was really blurry. Really could not see out of his sight when we spoke to him at the stop. , and he was going to check it out. “
It is not yet clear if Oladipo will not miss games, although the fact that the scheme is condensed in the bubble certainly does not help in that regard. Already 1-0 in the series, the Pacers would be in real trouble if Oladipo is unable to come back soon, especially with Domantas Sabonis already sidelined due to plantar fasciitis.
The Heat were one of the best offensive teams in the league this season, boarding with the seventh-best offensive rating (111.9), and the second-best 3-point percentage (37.9). While the Pacers are a reluctant bunch, and have a lot of experience playing without Oladipo this season, it’s hard to see how they can stay without those two stars.
Game 1 was a perfect example of why it will be so difficult for them. They each received 22 points from TJ Warren and Malcolm Brogdon, scored 23 points from cover and received 35 points from the bench. That’s about as much as you can ask of those different departments, and they’ve still lost by double digits.
Hopefully Oladipo does not have to miss too much time, otherwise what can be expected could be one of the most competitive first-round series pretty soon.
