NBA: Heat dominate G3, goes up 2-1

Paul George (r) drives into Dwayne Wade during the NBA Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday.

The NBA Eastern Conference Finals headed West for Games 3 and 4 with the series between the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers tied at 1-1. Game 3 wasn’t a close contest like the first two, with the Heat outscoring Indiana in all fourth quarters, earning an 18-point win, 96:114.

The Heat were led by LeBron James’ 22 points, but all five starters scored in double figures and they got 28 off the bench, nine from Chris Anderson, who’s currently 13 for 13 from the floor and 6 of 7 from the line in the Finals. Indiana was led by David West’s 21 points. Four of the five Pacer starters scored in double figures, but they only got 17 off the pines.

Both clubs came out swinging in the first quarter, racking up 64 points between them. They battled the entire first 12 with neither team getting up by more than four, and that only happened twice, early in the frame and with the last shot, with Miami getting a pair of free throws and then a dunk off a turnover by James to go up 34:30. Chris Bosh scored 10 for the Heat in the first, George Hill put up nine for the Pacers.

The game got away from the Pacers in the second 10. James hit the first basket of the quarter, then Shane Battier sank a pair of free throws to put the Heat up eight, 30:38. In the last 44.8 seconds Miami got baskets from Dwyane Wade, Ray Allen (triple), and a James runner just before the buzzer to outscoring the Pacers 3:7 to close out the half up 56:70. James wrapped up the front half with 18, while Roy Hibbert tallied 13.

Miami was able to build their biggest lead of the night getting up 16 two minutes into the quarter. Shortly after the Pacers went on an 11:2 scoring run to cut the lead to seven, 67:74. Miami countered and got back to a 15-point lead with only the forth quarter to play.

Allen knocked down a three-ball with two and a half minutes off the clock to put the Heat up by 21, 78:99. Indiana was able to cut the lead to 13, but that’s the best they could do and the Heat won Game 3 going away.

Game 4 will be played on Tuesday with Game 5 on Thursday.