Miami's two biggest stars shined brightest when it mattered most.
LeBron James and Dwyane Wade scored or assisted on the final 33 points and the Heat rallied to an 87-83 win in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals from Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Wade shot an efficient 10-for-16 en route to a team-high 23 points, while James tacked on 22 with seven rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots in the triumph. Norris Cole did his part as well, contributing 11 points off the bench.
Miami trailed 75-72 following Roy Hibbert's short hook at 5:33, but James countered with six straight points. Wade then followed James' missed layup with a tip-slam, and padded the cushion with a short jumper. The 10-0 run all but sealed the margin for the Heat.
Trailing by seven in the final moments, George Hill hit a 3-pointer and Miami turned the ball over trying to inbound following a timeout. Unable to stop the clock without any timeouts of their own, all the Pacers could muster was a deep Lance Stephenson triple, which fell well short as the buzzer sounded.
Miami evened this best-of-seven set at a game apiece. Both teams will have plenty of time to rest up before the series resumes in Miami on Saturday.
[SportsNetwork.com]
