Pacers big second half fuels win

INDIANAPOLIS — Paul George had 29 points and 11 rebounds, and the Indiana Pacers held Miami to a season-low point total in an 87-77 win over the Heat on Tuesday night.

George made four 3-pointers to get the best of his matchup with LeBron James. David West added 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Lance Stephenson chipped in with 13 points for the Pacers (21-14), who have won 11 of their last 13 games.

Dwyane Wade scored 30 points and James had 22 points and 10 rebounds for Miami (23-10), which still has the best record in the Eastern Conference.

It was the first time the teams had met since Miami beat the Pacers in six games in the conference semifinals last year.

The Pacers outrebounded the Heat 55-36 to help make up for 36 percent shooting.

George had gone 8 for 29 in his previous two games, but he broke out of his slump by making 12 of 27 shots against Miami.

Miami entered the game leading the NBA in field goal percentage, while Indiana led the league in field goal percentage defense. The matchup resulted in the Heat scoring only 35 points in the second half, their lowest-scoring half of the season.

Indiana led 38-28 in the second quarter before the Heat rallied late in the half. A 3-pointer by Wade cut Indiana’s lead to 38-37, and a putback by James gave the Heat the lead. The teams were tied at 42 at halftime. Wade scored 23 points in the first half, including 16 in the second quarter.

The Heat found their offensive flow in the early minutes of the second half. A 3-pointer by Mario Chalmers gave the Heat a 51-44 lead and caused the Pacers to call a timeout, but Indiana rallied. Stephenson found West in the corner for a 3-pointer, then Stephenson made a 3-pointer to give the Pacers a 55-53 lead.

George made consecutive 3-pointers to make it 67-57 at the end of the quarter. The Pacers made 5 of 8 from 3-point range in the period. Miami scored just 15 points on 7-for-18 shooting in the third and Wade went scoreless.

George opened the fourth with a jumper over James to expand Indiana’s lead to 12, and Ian Mahinmi’s putback bumped it to 14.

Another 3 by George made it 77-60 with about 8 minutes to go, and the Pacers remained comfortably ahead the rest of the way.



Notes: Pacers coach Frank Vogel said F Danny Granger’s recovery from his left knee injury is on schedule, meaning he should be ready to play in about a month. The Pacers’ leading scorer from last season has not played this season. The Pacers led 20-19 at the end of the first quarter, despite shooting just 28 percent. Wade was fouled on a 3-pointer in the second quarter and made all three free throws. West’s 3-pointer was just his third of the season and the 39th of his 10-year career.