The Miami Heat won over the Indiana Pacers for a 3-1 series lead in the NBA playoffs standings in the eastern conference finals with the score of 1-2-90 and now LeBron James and company have Indy right where they want them, as they have a two game advantage heading into Game 5 and that will be at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Wednesday and could be the clinching game for the two time defending champions.
Miami got off to a fast start before Indiana stormed back in the second quarter, but after halftime the Heat came out very hard and ended up outscoring the Pacers 31-20 and that lead was enough. The team was outscored by four in the final frame and won by 12 against the Pacers and now they are set for the next matchup in Indy. The team was outshot by three field goals and also had one less rebound, but the team was plus nineteen on free throws and the Pacers were not aggressive on defense, finishing with just one block and one steal in the game.
LeBron James now has more games than any other player in the playoffs of performances leading his team in scoring, rebounds and assists and that came after he put up 32 points, 10 rebounds and five assists to lead Miami. James has been playing in MVP form this postseason and that is one of the main reasons why the team is leading this series with a commanding 3-1 advantage. Miami has shown that home court advantage is moot for them in the playoffs and that could be a factor if they face off against the Spurs in the finals.
The Pacers got 22 points from Paul George and 12 rebounds from David West and now they will have to make a comeback from 3-1 down and the math is not looking good for the team. Miami will advance to their fourth straight NBA finals with a win on Wednesday and that game will once again be on ESPN and starts up at 8:30 pm ET on the schedule.
The Heat took a five point lead from the first half of the game and after outscoring the Pacers 27-19 in the first quarter, the team was hit back 25-22 from Indiana in the second. The Pacers got 12 points from David West early in the first half, while Paul George had four rebounds and three assists. Chris Bosh was feeling it after scoring in double digits the first few games of the series, as he had 17 points in the first half, including long range shots and points inside the paint. LeBron James continued his solid play and he had four rebounds and three assists to lead Miami in the first half.
Check here for the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers NBA standings and schedule.
