Heat rally past Pacers

MIAMI (AP) -- Down by 15 early, the Miami Heat could have hit the panic button.

Instead, they found a way to move within two wins of another trip to the NBA Finals.

LeBron James scored 26 points, Dwyane Wade added 23 and the Heat shook off a horrid start to beat the Indiana Pacers 99-87 on Saturday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, taking a 2-1 lead and breaking a back-and-forth trend in the rivalry. The teams had alternated wins and losses in 13 straight meetings - until now.

Miami once trailed 37-22, before outscoring Indiana 77-50 the rest of the way.

"A lot of our situations that we've been through where we've struggled have been against this team," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "That's what they do to you. They're very good. It's a function of their defense.

"But we had no choice but try to re-gather."

That they did. And then some.

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