Centre Hassan Whiteside came off the bench to provide 19 points and 18 rebounds, leading the Miami Heat to a 101-93 overtime win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Miami also got 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists from point guard Goran Dragic.
Indiana’s star was forward Paul George, who had 31 points and 11 rebounds, his 12th double-double of the season. He is averaging over 30 points in four games against Miami this season.
The Pacers could have won the game when guard Monta Ellis was fouled by Heat guard Dwyane Wade with 0.8 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Trailing 88-87, Ellis missed the first free throw before making the second, sending the game to overtime.
Wade, who was held to 16 points on 4-of-21 shooting, made two free throws with 4.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter to put Miami in position to win in regulation.
Whiteside, who nearly had his second straight 20-20 game in points and rebounds, surpassed 1 000 rebounds for his career. He is the fastest player in Heat history to reach that milestone.
Heat forward Luol Deng suffered a dislocated right middle finger but still managed 13 points and a season-high 16 rebounds – his third straight double-double.
The Heat (31-24) split the four-game season series with the Pacers (30-26) as the teams battle for playoff position in the Eastern Conference.
Indiana point guard George Hill played despite a sprained elbow and was held to one point. Ellis was held to seven points on 2-of-17 shooting as the Pacers backcourt struggled.
Indiana started quickly, leading 11-0 and then 16-2 before Heat coach Erik Spoelstra benched centre Amar’e Stoudemire and guard Gerald Green.
The Heat responded with a 6-0 run but still trailed 25-15 after the end of the first quarter. Miami shot just 27.8 percent in the period, and Indiana made three baskets at the shot-clock buzzer.
Miami, though, closed the second quarter on an 11-0 run, cutting Indiana’s lead to 44-41 at halftime.
The Heat then took a 70-69 lead after a third quarter that featured three lead changes.
© Reuters
