Pacers hold on in fourth vs. furious Heat rally; 80% chance at top 6 seed in East

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Pacers held on despite a near-collapse in the fourth quarter, beating the Heat 117-115 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday in a game that gives them a key leg up in the race for a critical top-six position in the Eastern Conference.

The Pacers improved to 45-34 and increased their lead on the Heat to 1 1/2 games, which gives them an 80% chance at getting a top six seed, according to playoffstatus.com. The Heat are now tied with the 76ers for seventh place, which would put them in the to the play-in round.

Pacers hold on thanks to key free throws

The Pacers led by as many as 22 points, but faded significantly in the second half thanks to excellent shooting by Heat wings Nikola Jovic and Tyler Herro, as well as typical late-game heroics from Jimmy Butler. The Heat outscored the Pacers by 11 points in the fourth quarter and cut Indiana's lead all the way down to one point.

However, critical free throws by center Myles Turner and forward Aaron Nesmith helped the Pacers hold on and not give the game away. They benefited from a lane violation on a late Herro free throw by Herro and managed to run out the clock in the final seconds.

"The fourth quarter was a situation where they were going to keep coming," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "We knew it. It was a matter of bend not break, and hang in there. Herro hit a couple of hellacious shots. But guys at this time of year and these moments do those kinds of things. Our guys held up. It's a huge win for us."

The Pacers held the Heat to just 46 points on 18 of 45 shooting including 2 of 16 from 3-point range in the first half, but always had a sense the Heat would make a comeback because they are such a battle-tested squad, having reached the NBA Finals twice in the last four years including last year as a No. 8 seed.

And they did. Butler scored 14 of his 27 points in the second half. Herro scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half, and Nikola Jovic scored 16 points in the second half after having just two in the first. Meanwhile the Pacers had a hard time making buckets and hit on just 4 of 15 second-half 3-pointers, including zero on seven fourth-quarter attempts. The Heat went on a 13-4 run from the 6:36 mark to the 3:21 mark to cut the Pacers' lead from 99-88 to 103-101.

The Pacers had answers, but a three-shot foul awarded to Herro with 23 seconds left allowed him to cut the deficit to 113-111. On the ensuing possession, however, Turner hit two free throws to make it a four-point game. Herro hit a 3-pointer to cut it down to one, but Nesmith hit two more free throws to put the Pacers up three with 6.6 seconds left.

Rather than allow Herro to attempt a game-tying 3-pointer, Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard fouled Herro on the floor with 3.6 seconds left. He made his first free throw but missed the second, hoping for a rebound and a chance to tie. Instead, he was called for a lane violation for leaving the line too early and the Pacers got the ball out of bounds and avoided a foul before the clock ran out.

"Tonight was definitely a playoff-type game, a playoff-type atmosphere," point guard T.J. McConnell said. "It was good for us to be on the right side of one of those. The one against Chicago hurt. A few of them down the stretch. The maturity that we showed to take it one possession at a time and get the stops that we needed. The free throws down the stretch were huge too."

T.J. McConnell carves up Heat zone

The Pacers stunned the Heat in Miami on Dec. 2 in large part because they didn't figure out a way to slow down T.J. McConnell. The Pacers' veteran backup point guard scored 20 points in that game on 10 of 11 shooting. On Sunday, the Heat showed they still didn't have much of a sense of how to keep McConnell out of the lane.

"Typically in zones there's spaces you can attack," McConnell said. "I was just kind of trying to survey it and see where I could get to those open spots and either kick it out for a 3 or get to my pull-up. Just try to read the game. That's really it. "

The Heat actually employed zone defense frequently in the first half to try to make it harder for the Pacers to get to the rim. McConnell found holes in it without a problem and got easy short jumpers between the two levels of the zone, which are very much his forte. In the first half, he scored 14 points on 7 of 8 shooting to lead all scorers while also dishing out three assists. He finished with 22 points on 11 of 14 shooting to go with five assists.

It was the 12th time McConnell has scored in double figures in his last 13 games.

"T.J. is someone who's just very consistent," Turner said. "I think he provides a consistent level of energy night in and night out, someone we really rely on as a team."

Myles Turner posts double-double

Playing Miami is a tough night for any center because it means dealing with one of the best two-way five-men in the league. Bam Adebayo can beat opponents inside and outside and also defend them on the rim and on the perimeter, so it takes a special night from an opposing five man to be productive against him.

Myles Turner had a pretty special night.

The Pacers 6-11 center shot 6 of 12 from the floor, 2 of 6 from 3-point range and also grabbed 13 rebounds while blocking 2 shots. He posted a double-double by halftime with 11 points and 10-rebounds. He continued to be critical down the stretch, finishing with 22 points and 13 rebounds including those two key free throws.

Adebayo still scored 20 points, but was 8 of 18 from the field. He also grabbed 12 rebounds, but Turner made him work and kept Miami from turning their rebound-battle win into second-chance points. The Heat grabbed 39 rebounds to the Pacers' 37, but had just four second-chance points to the Pacers' 11.

"Myles was terrific," Carlisle said. "He was really solid defensively. Adebayo scored some points, but Myles made those baskets baskets that he needed to earn. He really did. Myles had a big rebounding night. Twenty-two and 13, those are monster numbers. He's one of our best players and at this time of year, your best players need to shine."

Obi Toppin continues string of productive nights off bench

Obi Toppin came to the Pacers to finally give them a starting power forward with size needed for the position. They changed direction right after Christmas and put Toppin on the second unit, but Toppin embraced that move from the start and as the regular season draws to a close, he's been one of the most important parts of a bench that still leads the NBA in scoring.

Toppin scored in double figures for the fourth straight game off the bench on Sunday with another effective evening of inside-outside scoring. Toppin scored 13 points on 5 of 7 shooting including 3 of 4 from 3-point range. No other player on the Pacers' roster made more than two 3s on Sunday.

"He makes the game easier for point guards," McConnell said. "His ability to get out and run the floor and cause mismatches in transition, we're able to throw it over the top to him. When teams leave him open, he knocks it down at a high clip. He's just, to put it simply, a really good player."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers hold on to beat Heat and build lead for sixth place