January 30th, 2009 
Stephen Rhodes 
Posted in 
The Indiana Pacers, by and large, are a decent team with just Danny Granger as their big gun on offense; perhaps they can now be better as Mike Dunleavy is finally getting his shooting touch back after being absent 34 games with a sore knee. Dunleavy had his best offensive game of the season as he scored 30 points, leading Indiana to a convincing 124-203 win over the Miami Heat on Friday at Conseco Fieldhouse.
The first quarter was played fairly evenly as the Pacers outscored the Heat 29-26, but they would take control of the game in the second quarter as they would take a comfortable 46-31 lead on a 3-pointer by Troy Murphy with 7:44 left in the first half. T.J. Ford would make a runner just before the horn sounded, giving the Pacers a 66-49 halftime lead.
The Pacers would continue to control the game in the third quarter; a one-handed putback by Dunleavy would put Indiana up 86-64 with just over 4 minutes left in the period. The Pacers would coast from that point until the final horn.
Indiana’s high scorer was Dunleavy with 30 points (including 4 three-pointers), 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals while Murphy and Granger added 19 each – with Murphy making 5 treys, grabbing 12 rebounds, dishing out 4 assists along with a steal while Granger grabbed 5 boards, dished out 4 assists along with 2 steals and 2 blocked shots. Jarrett Jack chipped in 15 (including 3 treys) with 4 rebounds and 2 assists.
Miami was led by Dwyane Wade with 24 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and 2 blocked shots while Mark Blount added 17 with 8 rebounds, 2 assists and a blocked shot; Michael Beasley recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 boards. Indiana (19-28) plays again on Saturday when they host the New York Knicks while Miami (25-20) returns home to host the Minnesota Timberwolves – also on Saturday.
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