Heat 95, Pacers 86: LeBron James scored 16 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter and added 15 rebounds and five assists as host Miami took Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Dwyane Wade chipped in 29 points for the Heat, who lost Chris Bosh to an abdominal strain late in the second quarter. Bosh collected 13 points and five rebounds before exiting.
Danny Granger, who averaged over 20 points in the first round for Indiana, was held to seven points on 1-of-10 shooting.
The Heat led by as much as eight (82-74) after four straight points from James early in the fourth quarter. The Pacers stormed back, cutting it to 86-85 when George Hill nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 4:50 to play.
James came back on the other end and hit two free throws and Paul George missed a long 3-pointer, giving Miami a chance to get out in transition. Mario Chalmers found James for a dunk, getting the crowd on its feet.
Indiana had a fastbreak opportunity shortly after but Wade raced the length of the court for a block of George’s layup attempt.
James scored four points in the final two minutes to put it away.
The Pacers shot 50 percent in the first half and led 48-42 at the break.
Miami turned it up on the defensive end in the third quarter and leaned on its stars, getting 10 points apiece from James and Wade in the period. The Heat’s 12-4 run to start the fourth put them on top for good.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Indiana shot 29.7 percent (11 for 37) in the second half and did not make a field goal in the final 4:49. … The Heat failed to hit a 3-pointer (0 for 6) in a playoff game for the first time in franchise history. … David West recorded 17 points and 12 rebounds and Roy Hibbert added 17 and 11 to lead the Pacers.
Indiana | Miami | |
Roy Hibbert 17 | Scoring | LeBron James 32 |
Darren Collison 6 | Assists | LeBron James 5 |
David West 12 | Rebounds | LeBron James 15 |
Roy Hibbert 5 | Free Throws Made | Dwyane Wade 13 |
Paul George 3 | Steals | Shane Battier 2 |
Lou Amundson 1 | Blocks | Joel Anthony 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Indiana | 86 | 40.3 | 4-17 | 20-28 | 18 | 38 | 3 | 7 | 15 |
Miami | 95 | 40.7 | 0-6 | 29-38 | 16 | 45 | 5 | 8 | 13 |