Granger’s 25 leads Pacers past Heat 87-85

Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger, left, drives past Miami Heat guard Ricky Davis in the fourth quarter of the Miami Heat-Indiana Pacers game on Friday, which was won by Indiana 87-85.

The Indiana Pacers are off to a good start, but to be fair, the Miami Heat tonight stunk at the free-throw line, going 4-for-13. Those factors allowed the Pacers to squeak past the Heat 87-85 at Conseco Fieldhouse. Miami led 76-75 in the fourth quarter when forward-center Mark Blount drained a 3-pointer with 4:42 remaining; rookie guard Daequan Cook, who led the Heat with 17 points, followed with a 3 of his own to extend the lead to 82-75 with 4:03 to go.

But Pacers guard Kareem Rush hit a 3-pointer for Indiana with 1:42 to gothat tied the game at 82 and also made another 3 to extend the lead to 85-82 with 1:06 to go. Miami point guard Jason Williams missed a layup, and the Pacers gained possession after the Heat fouled on the rebound. A jumper by Pacers F Danny Granger made the lead 87-82; Heat G Ricky Davis made a shot from just past half-court to end the scoring.

Granger led the Pacers with 25 points and 9 rebounds, while F/C Ike Diogu added 16 and F Mike Dunleavy contributed 15. But the win by Indiana came at a cost; point guard Jamaal Tinsley left the game in the 1st quarter with a sprained left thumb. Miami was led by the aforementioned Cook with 17 points, with Davis adding 13 points and 14 rebounds. Heat C Shaquille O’Neal was ineffective, going 4-for-13, and 0-for-3 at the charity stripe for 8 points and 7 rebounds. Indiana (2-0) next travel to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies while the winless Heat (0-2) return home to face the Charlotte Bobcats.