Dragic, Heat stave off Pacers
MIAMI -- Goran Dragic scored 23 points to lead the Miami Heat to a 112-108 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night.
James Johnson's two free throws with 11 seconds remaining provided the final margin for the Heat, who withstood a fourth-quarter comeback by the Pacers.
Victor Oladipo's 3-pointer with 23 seconds left got Indiana within 109-106. Miami's Josh Richardson split two free throws with 22 seconds left for a 110-106 advantage.
Cory Joseph's running jumper off the backboard with 12 seconds left cut Miami's lead to 110-108.
Dion Waiters finished with 19 points and Kelly Olynyk scored 13 points for Miami, which played without injured center Hassan Whiteside. Whiteside sat out because of a bruised left knee.
The Pacers rallied from a 21-point deficit in the third quarter and got to within 104-99 on Oladipo's jumper with 2:02 remaining. After Thaddeus Young's jumper with 1:23 left got the Pacers again within five at 106-101, Dragic's jumper 14 seconds later increased Miami's lead to 108-101
Oladipo scored a game-high 28 points for the Pacers, who also played without center Myles Turner due to a concussion. Domantas Sabonis replaced Turner in the starting lineup and finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Miami took the lead for good after a 13-0 run midway through the second period. Olynyk's eight points, including two 3-pointers, keyed the spurt and his jumper with 4:18 left in the period ended the surge for a 50-39 lead.
Johnson's tip-in with 28 seconds left gave Miami a 63-50 lead at halftime.
Dragic's two free throws with 6:27 remaining in the third period Miami its first 20-point lead at 78-58.
The Pacers cut the deficit to 91-82 after Damien Wilkins' layup with 10:42 remaining in the third quarter.
NOTES: If symptoms improve, Pacers C Myles Turner will undergo his first evaluations to comply with the league-mandated concussion protocol on Sunday, coach Nate McMillan said. Turner, who is also sidelined because of a sore neck, was hurt in the season-opening victory over Brooklyn on Wednesday. ... The Pacers finished their first set of games on consecutive nights Saturday. Indiana will have six additional back-to-back games this season. ... C Hassan Whiteside's return from a bruised left knee will depend on the progress of his daily re-evaluation, according to Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. Whiteside suffered the injury in Miami's season-opening loss against Orlando on Wednesday. ... Saturday's game opened a season-long six game home set for the Heat. ... C Jordan Mickey made the second start of his NBA career in place of Whiteside. Mickey, in his second season, finished with eight points and six rebounds.