MIAMI _ The day began with a reference in the Indianapolis Star to the Miami Heat as an "inferior team." Because the record continues to deceive.
But not the recent results, including Saturday night's 113-95 victory over the Indiana Pacers at AmericanAirlines Arena that made it 16 victories in the last 18 games and extended the franchise record to 16 consecutive games scoring in triple digits.
While the record only stands at 27-32 and while the Heat remain on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff race, this was a night that showed the possibilities, with the Heat moving within three games of the Pacers for the No. 6 East playoff seed, clinching the potential tiebreaker with victories in the first two games of the three-game season series.
On a night center Hassan Whiteside went for 22 points and 17 rebounds and guards Dion Waiters and Goran Dragic scored 22 and 21, respectively, it was not all smiles for the Heat.
After providing welcome support for Whiteside, backup center Willie Reed was lost midway through the fourth quarter, going down in the defensive paint with a calf strain, carted back to the locker room.
There also was an emotional moment for the Pacers, with All-Star forward Paul George ejected with two technical fouls early in the third period, closing with 10 points in 19 minutes.
After going until the final 30 seconds of the third period without a team foul in the quarter, the Heat went into the fourth up 83-79.
The game took an odd turn early in the third period, first when George and Heat rookie forward Rodney McGruder were called for double technical fouls after getting locked up. Then, moments later, referee Gary Zielinski took exception to something George said and whistled the Pacers forward for another technical foul, mandating George's ejection with 8:49 left in the period. Dragic converted the technical free throw to put the Heat up 64-58, their largest lead to that stage.
The Heat fell to an 11-point deficit in the second period, pushed back in front later in the quarter, but went into halftime down 54-53, outscored 19-10 at the line over the first two periods.
Waiters led the Heat with 12 first-half points, with Dragic scoring 11.
Whiteside got off to a sluggish start, but was up to nine points and 11 rebounds by the intermission.
Both teams came out sluggish, with both completing back-to-back sets that began with Friday victories.
The Pacers led 23-19 at the close of the opening period, with the Heat 2 of 7 on 3-pointers in the first period after Friday night's 3-for-all in Atlanta.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra had to adjust his rotation early, with McGruder forced to the bench with his second foul with 9:30 to play in the opening period. That had Tyler Johnson entering earlier than usual.
Spoelstra wound up cycling through 10 players in the first quarter, including guard Josh Richardson, in his second game back after missing 19 with a sprained left foot. When Richardson converted a second-period jumper, it was his first basket in 21 games.
The Pacers had to alter their power rotation, with reserve center Al Jefferson sidelined with a dental issue.
With his six first-period points, George moved into eighth place on the Pacers' all-time scoring list ahead of Billy Knight, now behind No. 7 Herb Williams.
It was the second game of a three-game season series that concludes March 12 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Heat won the first meeting 95-89 Dec. 14 at AmericanAirlines Arena, behind 26 points and 22 rebounds from Whiteside, securing the victory by outscoring the Pacers 17-10 in an ugly fourth quarter.
The Heat entered having won three in a row from the Pacers after losing the previous three. The Heat also entered having won the previous four matchups at AmericanAirlines Arena.
The game concluded the Heat's 11th back-to-back set of the season, with a 3-7 record on the second nights of such pairings going in.
