Apr 23, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (3) looks to shoot as he is defended by Charlotte Hornets forward center Cody Zeller (40) during the second half in game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Time Warner Cable Arena. Hornets win 96-80. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dwyane Wade scored 23 points and hit two clutch shots in the final minute, and the Miami Heat forced a decisive Game 7 with a 97-90 victory over the Charlotte Hornets in their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series on Friday night.
Wade’s 3-pointer with 46 seconds remaining gave the Heat a 93-88 lead, and then after a Charlotte basket, he hit a fallaway 18-footer with 19.5 seconds left to push the lead back to five.
The Heat led by as many as 13 in the first half and 12 in the second, thanks to 60 percent shooting from the field in the first half. They went cold in the third quarter but still finished at 45.8 percent.
Game 7 is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday in Miami.
The Heat also got 21 points from Luol Deng, 14 from Goran Dragic, 12 from Hassan Whiteside and 11 from Joe Johnson, who capped the scoring with two free throws with 5.4 seconds remaining.
Pacers 101, Raptors 83
INDIANAPOLIS — Paul George had 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Indiana used a dominating second half to defeat Toronto in Game 6, tying the best-of-seven series 3-3 and forcing Game 7 on Sunday in Toronto.
After leading 65-64 late in the third quarter, Indiana used a 32-5 run to increase its lead to 97-69 with 3:02 remaining.
The Pacers scored the fourth quarter’s first six points and led 77-64 with 10:38 remaining, prompting a Toronto timeout. The run became 12-0 for an 83-64 advantage. Indiana shot 64 percent from the field in the second half.
