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Heat rally from 18 down, top Pacers 103-100 in OT

Jan 5, 2016 - 5:07 AM MIAMI (AP) Chris Bosh and Paul George had a quick conversation during one stoppage in play, both taking a moment to remember some of those epic Miami-Indiana playoff matchups of a few years ago.

''I was joking with PG, just telling him how it was old times,'' Bosh said.

Sure felt that way for the Heat - as they showed their rivalry with the Pacers still very much matters.

Bosh scored 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Dwyane Wade had 27 including a layup that beat the buzzer and forced overtime, and the Heat erased an 18-point third-quarter deficit to beat the Pacers 103-100 on Monday night.

It was the worst-shooting game of the season for Miami, which connected on 38 percent of its tries and won anyway.

''This was classic Eastern Conference basketball,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

Goran Dragic added 13 for Miami, which matched a season best with its third straight win.

George scored 32 points on 12-for-29 shooting for Indiana, but his 3-pointer from the right corner bounced off the rim on the game's final play. Monta Ellis had 17 points, Ian Mahinmi finished with 13 and Rodney Stuckey scored 12 for the Pacers.

''They're a good team,'' Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. ''They've got two All-Stars that closed the gap. Eighteen points in the third quarter, those deficits get overcome in the NBA all the time.''

There was a delay of nearly half an hour at the start because of a lighting malfunction before tip-off, then overtime at the finish. Heat rookie Justise Winslow was among those who needed intravenous fluids after the game because his calves were cramping, but he stayed on the floor until the end.

''Whatever it takes,'' Spoelstra said.

A pair of offensive rebounds in the final seven seconds helped seal it for Miami. Winslow grabbed one off a miss by Wade and made one free throw, his second being rebounded by Bosh for another Miami trip to the line.

Bosh made the second of his two, putting Miami up 103-100 with 3.9 seconds left in the extra session. The last shot of the game went to George, who couldn't connect.

''I had a good enough look,'' George said.

Indiana led by 18 in the third before the Heat roared back, an 18-3 run setting the tone. The Heat took their first lead with 3:11 left in regulation on a free throw by Bosh, after Vogel was hit with a technical by referee Zach Zarba.

After Stuckey made one of two free throws with 2.7 seconds left in regulation for a two-point lead, the Heat gave the ball to Wade. His left-handed layup beat the buzzer and sent the game to overtime.

The play was reminiscent but not exactly the same as the one where LeBron James used a left-handed layup to beat the Pacers at the overtime buzzer in Game 1 of the 2013 Eastern Conference finals, one of those classics that Bosh and George were chatting about.

''It felt like a playoff game,'' Wade said. ''So I'm glad we found a way to pull it out.''

TIP-INS

Pacers: George Hill (food poisoning) was out, so CJ Miles - who has started 23 of his 29 appearances this season anyway - was back in the Indiana starting lineup. Miles left late in the first quarter with a sore right shoulder, and Glenn Robinson III started the second half in his place. ... Indiana won the first two matchups with Miami this season.

Heat: Miami C Hassan Whiteside (sore right knee) was out, so Chris Andersen started in his place and picked up three fouls in the game's first 4:40. ... Tyler Johnson got his first career technical in the second quarter, clapping his hands to argue a foul called against him.

OT RECORDS

Miami improved to 2-1 in overtime games this season, all three of them coming since Christmas. Indiana fell to 0-3 in games that go into extra periods, all three of those contests coming on the road.

WADE'S DUNK

Wade had two fouls before the Heat had any points, and Spoelstra decided to let him play through the early trouble. A highlight-caliber dunk was the payoff for that move, Wade elevating to catch a half-court alley-oop pass from Dragic. ''My first lob of the season,'' Wade said.

UP NEXT

Pacers: Visit Orlando on Wednesday.

Heat: Host New York on Wednesday.