MIAMI (AP) – LeBron James scored 26 points, Dwyane Wade added 23 and the Miami Heat shook off a horrid start to beat the Indiana Pacers 99-87 tonight in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Ray Allen added 16 points and led a late-game charge for the Heat, who lead the best-of-seven series 2-1. Game 4 is Monday night in Miami.
The Heat trailed by 15 in the first half and never led until early in the third quarter.
Paul George scored 17 points for Indiana, shooting five for 13 in his return after being concussed late in Game 2. Roy Hibbert scored 16 points, David West added 13 and Lance Stephenson had ten for the Pacers.
Miami started the game two for ten from the floor. The Heat then made 21 of their next 31 shots, including eight straight in the third quarter that gave the two-time defending NBA champions their first lead.
James’ dunk with 7:36 minutes remaining in the third put Miami up 52-51 for the first time. That was the first of nine lead changes in the quarter, before the Heat did what coach Erik Spoelstra implored his team to do in a pregame locker room address.
“Impose our identity,” Spoelstra said.
Eventually, the message reached the Heat, and their two best players led the way.
