Paul George scored 21 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter as the Indiana Pacers staved off elimination by beating two-time defending champions the Miami Heat 93-90 on Wednesday.
George also had 31 points in the second half and shot 15-of-28 overall from the floor for the Pacers, who still trail the Heat three games to two in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference championship series.
“I just came out firing. My teammates found me and I got hot,” George said. “I felt in rhythm, regardless of who was guarding me. I was just in the zone.”
Photo: USA TODAY
The playoff series shifts back to southern Florida for Game 6 today.
The Heat are trying to become the fourth team in National Basketball Association (NBA) history to advance to the finals four straight seasons in a row.
Miami’s LeBron James finished with a career playoff-low of seven points on just two-of-10 shooting as he battled foul trouble throughout.
James played just 25 minutes in total as the Heat had to play all of the second and most of the third quarters without their superstar.
“It’s not something I’m accustomed to,” James said of sitting on the bench with foul trouble. “I wasn’t able to make plays and help our team win.”
Indiana needed to overcome a double-digit deficit earlier in the game and a Chris Bosh three-point try in the closing seconds that bounced out of danger.
David West tallied 19 points, and Roy Hibbert had 10 points and 13 rebounds, while Lance Stephenson scored 12 for the Pacers, who are trying to come back from 3-1 down and win a series for the first time in franchise history.
Rashard Lewis and Dwyane Wade each scored 18 points for the Heat, while Bosh finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
James would like to forget this game as quickly as possible. Not only did he commit five fouls within the first three quarters for the first time in his career, but it was just the second time in his career he was held to single-digit scoring.
“We are going back home, learn from our mistakes and come back Friday,” James said. “We need one more win to get to the finals and that is all I am concerned about.”
Indiana trailed by 11 during an embarrassing 33-point performance in the first half. They got their offence on track in the third by scoring 31 points in the quarter, including 11 straight at one stage. George capped the surge with a fast-break dunk to give the Pacers a 52-50 lead.
His buzzer-beating three-pointer put the Pacers ahead 64-57 at the end of the third.
Another George dunk off a steal pushed Indiana’s lead to 77-66 early in the fourth quarter, but nine consecutive Miami points got the Heat back into it.
Miami pushed hard to try and retake the lead, but George was able to counter each time with a key bucket of his own.
“My message to the whole team was the light needs to be on green for all of us,” coach Frank Vogel said. “You need to go, you need to attack, you need to be aggressive. Paul took it and ran with it, and took it to a crazy level.”
In the final seconds Miami’s Bosh had a potential go-ahead three-pointer from the corner, but his shot was contested and clanged off the rim.
Hibbert grabbed the rebound, giving the Pacers the victory.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely