NBA schedule: Pacers best Heat in Eastern Conference finals rematch

It was only one play, but it underlined Indiana’s newfound confidence and physical advantage this season. The Heat simply have no answer for Roy Hibbert.

Hibbert played a spectacular two-way game in the Pacers’ 90-84 win in front of a charged atmosphere in Indiana on Tuesday night. The center paced Indiana’s struggling offense early and helped lock down Miami’s attacks at the rim late. Hibbert set the tone by scoring nine of the Pacers’ first 11 points on the way to his best game of the season, a 24-point, five-rebound performance that saw him shoot 10-of-15 from the field. While the surface-level numbers are impressive, they don’t truly capture his impact on the game.

Indiana came back from a 13-point second-quarter deficit and suffocated Miami down the stretch to pull out the 90-84 win and increase its lead in the standings, as the Pacers now lead the race for first in the East by three full games.

The Pacers shot better than 50 percent from the floor, but their 21 turnovers were a problem that put them in a hole in the first half. But Indiana stuck with it, protecting the ball after the break and winning the rebound battle, 43-33, which continues to be a major issue for Miami.

Brooklyn defeated Boston 104-96 on Tuesday to win their second straight game behind 25 points from Williams (who played 37 minutes) and 24 from Brook Lopez. This marks the first time all season the Nets have won two consecutive games, and they’re now 7-14 on the season.

But it was the Nets’ defense that was the story overall, because it’s been awful so far this season. On Tuesday, they held Boston to just 43 percent shooting despite the Celtics long-range success.

The Thunder had 17 turnovers that helped to keep the Hawks within striking distance and shot a dismal 22.2 percent from the three-point line. They mitigated those deficiencies by outscoring Atlanta in the paint, 38-28.

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Indiana came back from a 13-point second-quarter deficit and suffocated Miami down the stretch to pull out the 90-84 win and increase its lead in the conference. The Pacers made just enough plays late in the game to keep themselves out of arm’s reach of the Heat and protect home court.

The Pacers shot better than 50 percent from the floor, but turnovers allowed the Heat to take a big lead early in the game and stick around all night. Indiana also won the rebound battle, 43-33, which continues to be a major issue for Miami.

I’ll leave it up to y’all to decide which is better, but I don’t know how you can beat a point blank pass to the face to your teammate only a couple feet away. The camera fake just adds to the depth.

Mesmerizing.

Leonard fell to the ground after a twisting Johnson met his layup -- unannounced, I might add -- at the apex of their jumps. Leonard fell to the ground, limbs sprawled out upon the hardwood.

Here’s how the schedule looks for Tuesday night, leading off with the top team in the NBA taking on the back-to-back champions:

7 p.m. ET, NBATV, FSIN, SUN