MIAMI _ Hassan Whiteside did the heavy lifting when the turnovers and equally wayward foul shooting could have buried the Miami Heat.
The only question was whether he ultimately would be left standing alone on a night he closed with 26 points and 22 rebounds in a nationally televised display of his All-Star level possibilities.
Because in a season where home has not been a haven, little has come easy for the Heat, this 95-89 victory Wednesday night over the Indiana Pacers at AmericanAirlines Arena no exception.
But with the Heat closing strong for the second time in as many games on this six-game homestand, the mood lightened for yet another night.
As has been the case through the majority of the Heat's game this season, it came down to the closing minutes and seconds, with Pacers forward Paul George making sure of that.
George paced the Pacers with 22 points.
A George 14-foot jumper with 2:38 to play pulled the Pacers within 92-89. The Heat, however, survived a missed shot and a Goran Dragic turnover, with a George jumper off with 1:56 left.
But Dragic, who struggled with his offense, then saw his floater blocked by Myles Turner with 1:33 to play, leaving Indiana in possession down three.
Turner then rimmed out a 3-point attempt with 1:14 left. Off a scramble, the Heat then inbounded off a timeout with 54.4 seconds to play and 2.4 seconds left on the shot clock. A James Johnson missed jumper followed.
Turner then missed another 3-pointer, with Whiteside following with his 20th rebound. The Heat then put it away with a Josh Richardson dunk.
The Heat could have put it away at the start of the fourth, when the Pacers went without a point in the period until Aaron Brooks converted a 19-footer with 6:10 remaining. The problem was the Heat also struggled, up only 84-81 at that stage. Brooks then also scored on the Pacers' next trip to trim the Heat's lead to 86-83.
That's when the Heat brought Whiteside back and he promptly scored inside, setting up the game's final drama, as the Heat initially pushed to a 92-85 lead.
Foul shooting again compounded matters for the Heat, who early in the fourth quarter stood at 13-of-23 compared to 14 of 17 for the Pacers.
The Heat went into the fourth quarter down 79-78, with Whiteside up to 23 points, 19 rebounds and two blocked shots by that stage, countered through three quarters by 20 points from George.
With Whiteside already up to 20 points and 14 rebounds by halftime, the Heat took a 53-52 lead into the intermission. That effort helped compensate for a first half when Dragic went 0-for-7 with three turnovers.
Whiteside points and rebounds were his season highs for a first half, with the 20 points matching his career high for a first half.
The last Heat player with at least 20 and 10 at halftime was Shaquille O'Neal in 2004.
Dragic did not convert his first basket until 10:16 left in the third period, when he drained a 16-foot jumper.
The Heat got off to an uneven start, committing 10 turnovers over the opening 9:47. One of those turnovers was a charging foul on Whiteside, who was forced to the bench with his second foul with 47.9 seconds left in the first quarter. He avoided another for the balance of the half.
With Johnson beating the first-quarter buzzer with a 20-foot jumper, the Heat closed the first quarter within 21-20, outrebounding the Pacers 20-9 over those opening 12 minutes.
Whiteside had 10 points and eight rebounds in the first quarter.
Heat forward Justise Winslow returned Wednesday after a 16-game absence due to a sore left wrist.
In his first action since a Nov. 14 loss to the San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center, Winslow entered with 47.9 seconds remaining in the first quarter, his first appearance as a reserve this season, after starting the first nine games of the season. He then played the balance of the first half.
Winslow, who shoots left-handed, played with a black-tape wrap on his left wrist but no splint or brace.
Of Winslow's place in the rotation going forward, coach Erik Spoelstra said before the game, "Everything has to be earned."
Wayne Ellington and Rodney McGruder again opened as the Heat's wings, with Whiteside starting at center, Josh McRoberts at power forward and Dragic at point guard.
Josh Richardson played as the Heat's first substitute Wednesday, with Tyler Johnson the second Heat player off the bench and James Johnson the third. Winslow then entered alongside backup center Willie Reed.
Winslow had remained behind for the Heat's past two trips, working extensively with the Heat training staff at AmericanAirlines Arena.
In his previous appearance, the second-year forward shot 3-of-11 in that Nov. 14 loss to the Spurs, an outing that dropped him to .336 shooting from the field this season, including 6-of-27 on 3-pointers.
Winslow's return gave the Heat 13 available players for the first time this season, the amount teams are allowed to dress on game nights.
Guard Dion Waiters remains out indefinitely with a Pectineus tear, with forward Chris Bosh away from the team since failing his preseason physical, after missing the second half of the past two seasons due to blood clots.
Once Waiters returns, the Heat will have to designate a second player beyond Bosh as inactive on game nights.
