Pacers 112, Heat 89
Paul George scored 13 points in 15 minutes in his return from a broken leg as host Indiana knocked off Miami.
Luis Scola scored 17 of his season-best 23 points in the fourth quarter and collected 12 rebounds for the Pacers, who are one game behind eighth-place Boston while moving into a tie with Miami for ninth place in the Eastern Conference. Solomon Hill added 19 points and C.J. Miles made five 3-pointers while scoring 17 points.
Dwyane Wade scored 27 points for the Heat, who have lost four consecutive contests and seven of their last nine. James Ennis had 17 points and Goran Dragic added 15 points for Miami.
The Heat moved within eight early in the fourth quarter before George drained back-to-back 3-pointers and Scola followed with consecutive baskets to make it 89-71 with 8:27 remaining. Six straight points by Scola pushed the lead to 22 with five minutes to play and the lead topped out at 27 points.
George scored five points in seven first-half minutes and the Pacers scored the final five points of the half en route to a 51-47 advantage. The Heat inched ahead early in the third quarter before Indiana rebounded to lead by as many as 12 points on George’s 16-footer before settling for a 77-66 lead entering the final stanza.
GAME NOTEBOOK: George made three 3-pointers in his first game for the Pacers since breaking his right leg in two places during a Team USA scrimmage last August. … Indiana was 14-of-30 from 3-point range, while Miami was just 2-of-20. … Heat C Hassan Whiteside (hand) sat out the contest.