Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers: 3 Key Matchups to Watch This Weekend

The Miami Heat got back on track Wednesday night with a come-from-behind, 89-86 win against the surging Atlanta Hawks.

With Chris Bosh back in the starting lineup, the Heat looked more like the team that won nine-straight games by double digits, and less like the team that went on a two-game losing streak at the hands of the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Before LeBron James and company head on the road for big-time matchups with the Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers, they have one more game in South Beach—a showdown with the Indiana Pacers.

If the Heat want to start their stretch against the elite teams of the Eastern Conference with a win on Saturday night, they must dominate certain matchups with the Indiana Pacers.

Ahead are three key matchups to watch on Saturday night, as the Heat face off against the Pacers in South Beach.  

LeBron James vs. Danny Granger

Take a look at LeBron James' and Danny Grangers' production this year, when facing off against each other:

LeBron James (two games, 61 minutes): 56 points, 20 assists, 17 rebounds, 51.9 FG percentage

Danny Granger (two games, 45 minutes): nine points, two assists, five rebounds, 20.2 FG percentage

It's clear that LeBron James has no issue stopping Danny Granger when the Heat and Pacers meet up.  The real key here is how well Granger and the Pacers can do defensively against LeBron.

In Miami's two previous meetings with Indiana, LeBron James has dominated the Pacers, leading the Heat in scoring, rebounds and assists both times.

It will be interesting to see how Indiana changes their defensive scheme, starting with how Granger approaches LeBron on the defensive side of the ball.  Granger is nearly as tall as LeBron, but he lacks about 45 lbs, which will be a real difference maker with LeBron's ability to back down defenders.

If the Heat want to beat the Pacers for the third time this season, they must run their offense through LeBron James, as he has the most sizable advantage of all Heat players.

Prediction:  LeBron James grabs his first triple-double of the season, with 29 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.

Roy Hibbert vs. Joel Anthony and the Heat's Interior Defense

Roy Hibbert hasn't exactly been recently playing at the All-Star-caliber level that he was before the 2012 NBA All-Star Game, which just so happened to be the first All-star appearance of his career.

That doesn't mean that Hibbert won't be a threat on Saturday night when the Heat face off against he Pacers.  Hibbert, at 7'2'' and 260 lbs, always has the potential to take over games—it just depends on how the opposing team's defense responds to his play in the paint.

In their last two matchups, Hibbert was held to an average of 13 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, which is right around his statistical averages for the season.  If Joel Anthony and the Heat's interior defense can manage to do that again, there's no way that the Pacers will beat the Heat in South Beach.

Joel Anthony's physicality against Hibbert early on will be a key to keeping Hibbert out of the paint all night long, which will result in Hibbert taking low-percentage shots and frustrating him on the glass.

On the other hand, if Hibbert is able to get the best of Anthony early on, in the paint, it will be a long night for the Heat's interior defense, consisting of Joel Anthony, Udonis Haslem and Dexter Pittman.

If Miami, led by Joel Anthony, can manage to keep the Hibbert out of the paint, the Heat will have no trouble extending their winning streak to two games before they head back out onto the road.

Prediction:  Roy Hibbert held to 14 points and seven rebounds on 43.5 percent shooting

Norris Cole and the Heat Bench vs. Tyler Hansbrough and the Pacers Bench

The one advantage that the Pacers have over the Heat is the production of their bench, which is arguably one of the best in the entire NBA.

Surprisingly enough, in the two previous matchups the Pacers bench has only outscored the Heat bench by a score of 72-71.

If the Heat want to beat the Pacers on Saturday night, they are going to need that same kind of performance out of their oftentimes inconsistent bench.

The key to the Heat bench against the Pacers seems to start with the play of Norris Cole, who's averaging 15 points per game in two games against Indiana.  Leading the surge for the Pacers bench is Tyler Hansbrough, who's averaging 12.5 points per game this season against the Heat.

While the spotlight will be on guys like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Danny Granger and Roy Hibbert on Saturday night in South Beach, the real difference maker in the game will be the play of each team's respective bench.

Prediction:  The Heat bench outscores the Pacers bench 42-37, helping the Heat beat the Pacers, 104-92.

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