MIAMI -- For so much of the night, just about everything was going wrong for the Miami Heat. They were missing every 3-pointer, arguing plenty of calls, even screaming at one another. Then one quick burst changed everything. Dwyane Wade scored 32 points, LeBron James added 24 on a sore left ankle, and Chris Bosh and Ray Allen connected on huge 3-pointers within a 31-second span down the stretch. It all added up to the Heat erasing a 15-point deficit in the final 18 minutes to beat the rival Indiana Pacers 97-94 on Wednesday. "It shows were a team thats been there before," Wade said. "No matter what the score is we always feel we have an opportunity to win the game." So even when Indiana led 68-53 midway through third quarter, hope remained. And even when James and Mario Chalmers were getting in a heated exchange during one particularly bleak stretch -- James said afterward that he was wrong, and Chalmers said the matter was forgotten -- the Heat didnt fall apart. "It was a good win," James said. "Good, good, quality win against a very good team on our home floor. We had to overcome a lot." Paul George scored 25 points for Indiana but missed a 3-pointer that would have tied it with 4 seconds left, and insisted afterward that he was fouled by James on the play. "I went into my shot, got pushed in the back, I thought it was a foul, nothing was called, and we lost the game," George said. "Aside of that we still should have taken care of business." David West had 23 points and Lance Stephenson added 13 for the Pacers, who have dropped two straight and saw their lead over Miami in the Eastern Conference trimmed to one game. Both teams have won against the other on their home floor this season, and Miami topped Indiana at home in Game 7 of the East finals a year ago. "Its December," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "I think you have two great teams going at it. Its going to be a fun series all season, the regular-season matchups, and hopefully we will both be able to reach a point in the playoffs where we can meet again." Miami got the 15-point deficit down to five by the end of the third quarter, and was still down 92-85 when West scored with 3:21 remaining. Then, for the first time all night, the Heat put together a real run. The Heat scored the next 10 points -- Boshs 3-pointer, his first in 15 attempts, tied it at 92. And after George missed in the lane at the other end, James brought the ball the other way and found Allen for a 3-pointer that put the Heat ahead for the first time since the score was 14-13. They didnt trail again. "I was encouraged by our ability to stay focused and show some resolve in the second half," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "It wasnt necessarily pretty, but you have to make enough plays ... and a lot of times against this opponent it has to be like that, where its not smooth and you have to make enough plays to just give yourself a chance in the end." The Pacers had a chance at the lead late, but it went awry when George Hill turned the ball over on a pass with 14 seconds left. Allen made two free throws with 10.3 seconds remaining to put Miami up by three, and that capped the scoring. Pacers centre Roy Hibbert got his fourth foul early in the third, and Vogel opted to leave him in the game. The gamble appeared to backfire 46 seconds later when Hibbert picked up his fifth with 8:34 remaining in the quarter. Hibbert went to the bench -- but the Pacers didnt miss a beat. George made three free throws after getting hit beyond the arc by Chalmers to put Indiana up 66-51 midway through the third, and the Pacers lead was still 14 with 4:17 left in the period. "They stole the game from us," West said. Even though the teams wont see each other again until March, and with the playoffs still 50-something games away, there was clearly a little more meaning to this one. James was questionable because of a bad ankle, the one he twisted in Mondays win over Utah. Vogel was questionable because of bad spaghetti -- at least, he thinks thats what caused a quick bout with illness that set in after he dined Tuesday night. By game time, both pronounced themselves ready. NOTES: Pacers F Danny Granger, who has played in just five games since the start of last season because of injuries, will practice Thursday and is set to return to the lineup. ... Neither team has topped 100 points in the last six meetings, including playoff games. San Francisco Giants Gear . - The Chicago Bears have agreed to a one-year contract with free-agent centre Brian de la Puente. San Francisco Giants Pro Shop . Mika Zibanejad and Jason Spezza scored in the shootout to lead the Ottawa Senators to a 2-1 victory over Nashville on Saturday night. https://www.cheapjerseysgiants.us/ . -- Center Max Unger and tight end Zach Miller are both probable for the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday against the New York Giants and Percy Harvins recovery continues to be slow. San Francisco Giants Store . Burkes Flames are one of several teams involved in heavy trade speculation going into next Wednesdays 3pm et deadline, with the most prominent name in play being forward Michael Cammalleri. Giants Jerseys China . Earnshaw, 31, most recently spent time on loan in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv from Welsh club Cardiff City, which plays in Englands second-tier League Championship. Earnshaw began his career with Cardiff Citys youth program and turned professional in 1998. ST. LOUIS -- Danny Duffy became the latest pitcher to shut down the St. Louis Cardinals. Duffy worked six innings of one-hit ball coming off a pair of poor outings and Alex Gordon homered to start a breakout three-run seventh for the Kansas City Royals in a 6-0 victory over the suddenly punchless defending NL champs on Monday night. "I told him, You didnt throw a great game, you pitched a great game," manager Ned Yost said. "He was just right on top of his game." The Royals had just two singles off Shelby Miller (6-5) in a game that had been scoreless before they opened the seventh with four straight hits. Gordons fifth homer ended a 15-inning scoreless drought and Mike Moustakas capped the rally with a two-run double. "I felt good early on," Miller said. "I felt like I just kind of gave the game away in the seventh. Its just frustrating." Matt Holliday had two singles and a walk for the Cardinals, who have been shut out in consecutive games at home and have single-digit hit totals the last four games. Theyre just 2-6 with one game to go on a nine-game home stand. "Its a long season. Youre going to have those times," said Yadier Molina, who is 2 for 21 during the home stand. "We know were good hitters." Between Hollidays single with two outs in the first and his single leading off the seventh, the Cardinals were 0 for 17 with a walk -- also by Holliday in the fourth. Coming off an 8-0 loss to San Francisco on Sunday, the Cardinals were shut out two straight times at home for the first time since 1992 against Pittsburgh, and by six or more runs at home in two straight games since dropping a doubleheader to the Reds in 1937. "Weve had lots of meetings, weve had the conversations we needed to have," manager Mike Matheny said. "What were doing right now isnt going to work and they know that. We all do." Duffy (3-5) struck out five and walked one, rebounding from consecutive losses in which he surrendered 10 earned runs in 10 innings. He has a one-hit start over six or more innings each of the last three seasons.dddddddddddd "Physically, I felt really good," Duffy said. "I still didnt have as much behind the ball as I normally do, but I felt fine just like last time." Rare backing from the offence made everything feel a lot better. The Royals totalled three runs while Duffy was in the game his first five starts over 27 innings. "Sometimes its just the luck of the draw," Duffy said. "The guys swing the sticks really well." Three relievers completed a three-hitter. The Royals advanced one runner to second base before Gordon led off the seventh with his fifth homer, a drive over the Cardinals bullpen in right field. "It was awesome," Moustakas said. "It got a good pitch to hit and he crushed it and it kind of loosened us up in the dugout." Lorenzo Cain beat out an infield hit unsuccessfully challenged by the Cardinals and Miller threw his second wild pitch of the inning after a visit from pitching coach Derek Lilliquist, setting up Moustakas double. Kansas City added three in the eighth. Cardinals rookie centre fielder Randal Grichuk struck out three times and whiffed fielding the ball on the RBI single by Salvador Perez, allowing a second run to score. NOTES: Holliday has reached safely in all 29 home games. .. The Cardinals anticipate pitcher Lance Lynn, who underwent medical tests after tweaking his right knee Sunday, will make his next start. ... Cardinals pitching prospect Marco Gonzales, a first-round pick last year, and teammates from Double-A Springfield attended the game on a day off. ... The Royals claimed RHP Blake Wood on waivers from Cleveland and assigned him to Triple-A Omaha, making room on the 40-man roster by transferring RHP Luke Hochevar (elbow surgery) from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL. Kansas City also purchased the contract of RHP Wilking Rodriguez, optioned RHP Louis Coleman to Omaha and designed LHP Justin Marks for assignment. ... The Royals are 5-1 in interleague play. ' ' '