Heat cruise in Indy for 2-1 series edge

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS

LeBron James scored 22 points and the Miami Heat rediscovered their offensive punch, routing the Indiana Pacers 114-96 on Sunday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

James got plenty of help as the Heat reclaimed the home-court advantage they lost two nights earlier. Dwyane Wade had 18 points, and Udonis Haslem added 17.

David West led Indiana with 21 points, and Roy Hibbert had 20 points and 17 rebounds. The Pacers lost for the first time at home in the playoffs this season, dropping to 6-1.

Game 4 is Tuesday night in Indianapolis.

It was vastly different from the first two games when the Heat couldn’t pull away.

Miami used an 8-2 run to open up a 10-point lead in the second quarter led 70-56 at halftime — Miami’s biggest lead in the series.

Spurs in control

MEMPHIS, Tenn.

Go ahead and call the San Antonio Spurs old. They’re also experienced enough to know what to do only a win away from their first NBA Finals berth since 2007.

Finish off the Memphis Grizzlies.

“Absolutely, absolutely,” Spurs center Tim Duncan said Sunday before a short practice. “We know they’re not going to lay down. We’re going to have to beat them. We understand what we have going here, and we understand that we want to finish is as quickly as we can.”

The Spurs wasted a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference final a year ago when Oklahoma City won four straight games.

They know time is running out for their current Big Three, featuring the 37-year-old Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili along with coach Gregg Popovich. The franchise is in its 16th straight postseason has four NBA titles but hasn’t played in the Finals since 2007 at a time when Ginobili recalls the Spurs were being called old even then.

San Antonio is up 3-0 after rallying from an 18-point deficit in the first quarter Saturday night and winning 104-93 in overtime. Duncan, Parker and Ginobili took turns scoring points in the fourth quarter and beyond after the Spurs played so ugly in the first 12 minutes that Ginobili said Sunday he still wasn’t sure how they won.