Indiana @ Miami preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 12, 2017 ) Miami 98, Indiana 102

The Miami Heat are expected to be without center Hassan Whiteside, who led the league in rebounding last season, when they open a six-game homestand Saturday night against the revamped Indiana Pacers. Whiteside registered 26 points and 22 boards in the season-opening 116-109 loss at Orlando, but suffered a bruised left knee during a collision with Magic center Nikola Vucevic.

“He’s doing treatment and he’s feeling better,” said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, whose team was outrebounded against Orlando to lose a season opener for the first time in seven years. “We’ll just have to go from there.” The Heat will have to lean more on guard Goran Dragic, who posted 17 points and six assists in the opener, and get a big effort defensively against an Indiana team that scored 140 points in its season debut before struggling Friday. The Pacers are also expected to be without a key player as center Myles Turner missed Friday’s 114-96 home setback against Portland with a concussion and a sore neck after recording 21 points to go along with 14 boards in the season-opening win over Brooklyn. Indiana, which begins a three-game road trip, shot 44.9 percent from the field in the loss after draining 52 percent on Wednesday night.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN Indiana, FSN Sun (Miami)

ABOUT THE PACERS (1-1): Turner’s absence left a void inside, but 6-10 rookie T.J. Leaf came off the bench to pour in 17 points in 19 minutes after going scoreless in his career debut on 0-for-1 shooting. Victor Oladipo, acquired from Oklahoma City in the Paul George trade, also finished with 17 points on Friday but was held to 5-of-17 from the field while second-year pro Domantas Sabonis scored three following a 16-point effort against Brooklyn. Point guard Darren Collison, who was the other key pickup in the offseason, averaged 17.5 points and 7.5 assists in his first two games.

ABOUT THE HEAT (0-1): Newcomer Kelly Olynyk is likely to take Whiteside’s spot at center after the former Boston Celtic scored 10 points in his Miami debut and perhaps there will be a few more minutes for rookie big man Bam Adebayo up front. Dion Waiters scored 15 against Orlando on Wednesday despite reportedly being bothered by an ankle injury that kept him out of several games last season, but he is likely to be in the lineup against the Pacers. Former Duke standout Justise Winslow scored 10 points off the bench in the opener after missing all but 18 games last season due to injury.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Pacers have drained just 13 of their 52 attempts from 3-point range in the first two contests.

2. Miami PF James Johnson had 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting and eight assists in 19 minutes off the bench Wednesday.

3. The Heat has won four of the last five meetings, but lost the last matchup at Indiana 102-98 last March.

PREDICTION: Pacers 110, Heat 98