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 The game featured heated emotions, a vintage performance by Heat
guard Dwyane Wade, a Pacers team that was able to play well for a
while without its center and a valiant effort by Heat forward LeBron
James, who was playing despite a gimpy left ankle.
In the end, Miami rallied from a 15-point, third-quarter deficit to
defeat Indiana 97-94 at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Wade scored a season-high 32 points, making 15 of 25 shots from the
floor.
"This is the best I've felt all season," Wade said. "I knew LeBron
was dealing with his ankle a little bit. I wanted to be aggressive."
James added 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists despite the
fact that he missed Tuesday's practice and said he would not have
played had the game been played that night.
Miami may have lost Wednesday if not for big shots down the stretch
by forward Chris Bosh and guard Ray Allen. The Heat made just three
of 19 3-pointers until Bosh hit one from deep with 90 seconds left
to tie the score at 92.
Then, after Pacers forward Paul George missed a short jumper, Allen
hit a 3-pointer from the right elbow to put the Heat up for good,
95-92, with 59 seconds left.
After Indiana cut it to 95-94 on two foul shots by forward David
West, James came up with a steal with 13 seconds left on a bad pass
by Pacers point guard George Hill.
The Pacers had one more chance, but George missed a 3-pointer with
four seconds left, and Heat forward Chris Andersen grabbed the
rebound to end the game.
"I thought I was fouled (by James)," George said. "I got pushed in
the back, but nothing was called."
George led Indiana with 25 points, and West added 23.
The Heat (19-6) earned its fifth win in six games, and they avenged
the only blemish during that span — last week's loss at Indiana.
"This was a good, quality win," James said. "You don't want to be
two behind in the loss column, no matter who you are playing."
The Heat trails the Pacers (20-5) by one game in the battle for the
top playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.
After an 18-2 start, Indiana is just 2-3 in its past five games.
James was not the only one functioning at less than 100 percent
Wednesday. Pacers coach Frank Vogel was courtside despite suffering from food
poisoning.
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Vogel said the Heat's ability to get fast-break points — Miami held a 21-9 advantage in that category — was crucial,
especially in the fourth quarter.
Overall, though, the Pacers held the usually hot-shooting Heat
to 48.1 percent from the floor.
"You've got two great teams going at it," Vogel said. "It's
going to be a fun series all season. Hopefully, we will be able
to meet in the playoffs."
If so, expect even more tension such as what happened in the
second quarter, when Pacers guard Lance Stephenson and Heat
counterpart Mario Chalmers were hit with technical fouls.
A bigger moment came with 8:34 left in the third quarter and the
Pacers up 58-48. That's when Indiana center Roy Hibbert picked
up his fifth foul and went to the bench.
While he was out, the Pacers stretched their lead to 15 points.
However, the Heat closed the quarter on a 23-3 run and then kept
that momentum going in the fourth.
"It's frustrating," said Hibbert, who had just six points, two
rebounds and one block in 22 minutes. "We should have been able
to hold onto that lead."
George said Hibbert's absence was a key to the loss.
"He's the best rim protector in the league," George said. "Him
not being out there limited us defensively."
NOTES: After averaging 25.1 points in the first month of the
season, Pacers F Paul George entered Wednesday with a 14.7
average over his previous three games. His scoring slump was
accompanied by more turnovers (up from 2.6 to 3.7) and a lower
shooting percentage (down from .478 to .270). ... Pacers F Danny
Granger, who played just five games last season due to a knee
injury and has yet to appear this season due to a calf problem,
is expected to return Friday at home against the Houston
Rockets. He is making $14 million in 2013-14, and he will be a
free agent after the season. ... Heat F Michael Beasley
(hamstring) missed his sixth consecutive game. ... The next time
the teams meet will be March 26 in Indiana. They also play April
11 at Miami. ... The Heat plays the fourth game of a five-game
homestand Friday against the Sacramento Kings.
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