LeBron James paces Miami Heat to thrash Indiana Pacers 105-90: NBA Recap
There are rarely moments in NBA when a team is outscored by 17 points in the fourth quarter and still goes onto win the game at a canter.
Such was the domination which Miami Heat showcased in the first half of the game against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night.
Led by LeBron James and rookie Norris Cole, Miami started with an early 10-0 spurt and then capped the first period on a 20-7 run to take a 33-16 lead. They then reeled off 15-4 spurt early in the next frame to seal the game.
The Heat were leading by as many as 35 early in the fourth as they became the third team – Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder being the other two - this season to sweep back-to-back-to-back games. What’s more emphatic is that
the Heat did with ease, beating all their opponents by an average of 17.5 points. They might have beaten the Pacers by more than 30 tonight, but the hosts finally got it going down the stretch.
James finished the game with 23 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and four steals for Miami, which became the first team since 1979 to win three road games in three nights.
"I think as far as team chemistry, we got better every single night," James said after the game. "Tonight we had 17 assists. We rebounded and defended. When we do that, we're very, very tough to beat and it shows the professionalism
of the group."
Cole had 20 points and 3 assist, while Dwyane Wade (16) and Chris Bosh (13) combined for 29 points. With Miami literally spewing fire, the Pacers looked all at sea and things became even worse when they lost their top-scorer Danny
Granger with a sprained left ankle late in the first quarter.
With Granger out, David West scored 14 while Paul George and A.J. Price scored 12 to lead six Pacers in double scoring figures.
Indiana (17-11) have now lost four games on a trot and Roy Hibbert who scored 10 points was embarrassed;
"Pretty embarrassing,” He said. "They just hit us at the start and we just weren't able to recover. ... None of us came ready to play tonight."
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