National Basketball Association
Miami 105, Indiana 93
When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, May 24, 2012
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Officials:
#8 Marc Davis, #48 Scott Foster, #41 Ken Mauer
Attendance:
18165
By SportsDirect Inc.
Heat 105, Pacers 93: Dwyane Wade led the way with 41 points and 10 rebounds and LeBron James sealed it late as visiting Miami took Game 6 to clinch the series and advance to the Eastern Conference finals.
James piled up 28 points, seven assists and six rebounds and Mario Chalmers chipped in 15 points for the Heat, who will take on either the Boston Celtics or the Philadelphia 76ers in the East finals.
Miami pushed the lead to double digits early in the fourth quarter before Indiana went on a run, trimming the deficit to 97-91 with 2:31 left. James took it from there, scoring six straight points to put the game away.
Wade capped it with two free throws and finished 17 for 25 from the floor and 7 for 8 from the free throw line.
The turning point in most of the games during the series has been the third quarter, and Game 6 was no different. Trailing 53-51 at the half after allowing the Pacers to shoot 58.8 percent before the break, the Heat locked down on defense and eventually made a charge offensively behind the supporting cast.
Miami led, 70-69 with 1:16 left in the third before David West was called for a technical foul. James hit the resulting free throw to begin a 9-0 run, capped by back-to-back 3-pointers by Mike Miller and Chalmers off turnovers.
Indiana scored 16 points on 6 for 17 (35 percent) shooting in the third.
After being called soft by team president Larry Bird, the Pacers came out on fire on Thursday, pounding the ball inside and displaying some toughness behind West, Danny Granger and Roy Hibbert. Those three combined to shoot 15 for 19 from the floor in the first half.
Wade kept the Heat in the game, going off for 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting in the first half.
GAME NOTEBOOK: West finished with 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting to lead Indiana. … With Udonis Haslem serving a one-game suspension, Joel Anthony stepped up off the bench for the Heat and contributed strong defense on Hibbert in 34 minutes. … Miami scored 25 points off 22 Pacers turnovers. … The Heat swept a four-game season series with the 76ers but lost three of four to the Celtics.
Top Game Performances
Miami |
|
Indiana |
Dwyane Wade 41 |
Scoring |
David West 24 |
LeBron James 7 |
Assists |
George Hill 5 |
Dwyane Wade 10 |
Rebounds |
Paul George 10 |
Dwyane Wade 7 |
Free Throws Made |
David West 4 |
LeBron James 3 |
Steals |
George Hill 2 |
Joel Anthony 2 |
Blocks |
Roy Hibbert 2 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Miami
|
105 |
53.9 |
7-20 |
16-20 |
16 |
26 |
4 |
9 |
10 |
Indiana
|
93 |
48.6 |
6-17 |
19-24 |
18 |
37 |
2 |
3 |
22 |
Upcoming Games
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Miami will play their next game at home against Boston. The Heat have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.