The Pacers snatched home-court advantage away from the Heat in a 78-75 victory. David West scored 16 points and had 10 rebounds for the Pacers, who led by as many as 11 and held Miami to 3-for-17 shooting in the third quarter before hanging on for the win.
With the 6-10 Bosh out of the lineup with a strained lower abdomen the Pacers crashed the backboards, out rebounding Miami 50-40.
The Heat had three chances to go ahead or knot the score in the final minute before two of their top players faltered. LeBron James missed two free throws with 54.3 seconds left and Miami down by a point, and Dwyane Wade blew a potential game-tying layup with 16 seconds to play. Mario Chalmers missed a three-point try on the game's final play.
James finished with 28 points and nine rebounds, while Wade added 24 points. No other Miami player had more than five points.
Game 3 is Thursday at Indianapolis.
In other state sports news...
- David Price won for the fifth time in six starts by allowing six hits in seven innings as the Tampa Bay Rays came back to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3. Sean Rodriguez hit a solo homer and Ben Zobrist went 3-for-4 with an RBI to help Tampa Bay come back from a 3-0 deficit and win its third in a row.
- The wait is over for Josh Johnson. Miami's ace earned his first victory in 13 months by giving up two runs in seven innings of Miami's 6-2 win against Pittsburgh. Omar Infante hit a two-run single and tied a career high with four hits for the Marlins.
