Pacers Top Heat As LeBron Fouls Out In Game 4; Series Tied At 2-2 [VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS]
Roy Hibbert scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Indiana Pacers escaped with a 99-92 victory over the Miami Heat to even Eastern Conference finals series at 2-2 on Tuesday's Game 4 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indiana.
The Pacers bounced back from the double-digit beating they absorbed at the hands of the Heat in Game 3 as Hibbert asserted his presence in the shaded lane to knot the series all even.
Boosted by a raucous home crowd, Indiana hit several key baskets late and got a lucky break when LeBron James was tossed out of the game after committing his sixth personal foul with just under a minute left to play.
The Pacers caught fire in the opening minutes of the first quarter, scoring 11 unanswered points to build a significant edge early on. However, the Heat found their way back to the game immediately behind James and Wade.
The game turned to another grindfest from that point as both teams traded big baskets until the final second of the first half. James drove hard to the lane for a layup to keep the Heat within a point, 48-47, at the break.
Trying to avoid another letdown in the third period, the Pacers tightened up their defense and contested every shot taken by the Heat.
Ironically, the highlight defensive play of the night came from James, who took the elevator to swat George Hill's layup with barely a minute to go in the quarter.
However, the Pacers were able to roll with the punches in the succeeding play as Lance Stephenson's buzzer-beater capped an 11-6 run for the Pacers in the third.
Like the first two games of the series, the fourth quarter was an all-out war with both teams trading big buckets.
Ray Allen drained a bailout trey to give the Heat an 89-86 lead with 5:13 remaining but the Pacers responded with 8-0 run to seize a 94-89 edge with 1:20 minute left.
James knocked down a trey to bring the deficit down to two, 94-92, but the succeeding play proved to be the dagger to the Heat.
After Stephenson made an 8-foot jumper to make it a two-possession ball game, James was called for his sixth foul after setting a screen for Wade with 56 seconds left. But the Pacers sealed the victory when Wade was called for traveling with 26 seconds to go.
James finished with 24 points while Wade added 16 markers. Chris Bosh shook off an apparent ankle sprain after a collision in the third and tallied 7 points on 1-for-6 shooting.
On the other hand, David West racked up 14 points and 12 rebounds and Stephenson added 20 for the Pacers, who head back to Miami for Thursday's crucial Game 5.
Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers Game 4 [Post-Game Press Conference]