The shining gem amid the landslide was that Domantas Sabonis scored 27 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for his 30th double-double of the season, matching his total for all of last season.
Now the trick for the Pacers, aside from getting their starting backcourt into the games, is to have more players rise to that level of consistent intensity. Because when they don't, they get beat like they did on Wednesday when Miami put on a clinic of effort and execution at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The Pacers' 122-108 loss to the Heat was uglier than the score indicated, as they were down by as many as 31 points before scoring 36 after-the-fact points in the fourth quarter.