Allen on target as Heat beat Pacers in NBA

Ray Allen has sparked the Miami Heat to a win over Indiana in the NBA's Eastern Conference finals.

Miami Heat guard Ray Allen (L) drives to the basket

Ray Allen has sparked Miami to a 99-87 win over Indiana in the NBA's Eastern Conference finals. (AAP)

Miami clamped down in the third quarter and Ray Allen came up big in the fourth on Saturday as the Heat rallied for a 99-87 NBA playoff victory over Indiana.

Heat superstar LeBron James scored 12 of his 26 points in the third period as two-time defending NBA champions Miami shook off a slow start to turn the tide in the second half.

With the victory, the Heat took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Final and will try to stretch that lead when they host game four on Monday.

The winners of the series will face either San Antonio or Oklahoma City for the NBA crown.

Miami trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half. They took the lead for the first time with 7:36 remaining in the third quarter, when James capped an 8-0 scoring run with a fast break dunk for a 52-51 edge.

James and teammate Dwyane Wade combined for 22 points in the third - matching the entire Pacers' total - as Miami built a 71-64 advantage.

The Pacers got within two points in the fourth, but Allen made all four of his three-point attempts in a 13-point effort in the final term.

Wade finished with 23 points, four rebounds and four assists.

Indiana's Paul George, who suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter of Indiana's 87-83 game two loss on Tuesday, led the Pacers with 17 points, while Roy Hibbert chipped in 16.


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Source: AAP


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