Butler Scores 27 Points, Heat Beat Pacers To Take 3-0 Lead

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.: Jimmy Butler scored 27 points and the Miami Heat held off a furious rally to beat the Indiana Pacers 124-115 on Saturday to take a 3-0 lead in their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.

Goran Dragic added 24 points, Bam Adebayo had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Tyler Herro scored 20 points for the Heat. They can sweep the series Monday.

Malcolm Brogdon set career playoff highs with 34 points and 14 assists for the Pacers. T.J. Warren scored 23 points, and Victor Oladipo added 20.

Dragic spun through the Pacers and made a layup as time expired in the second quarter to put the Heat up 74-56. The Heat made 11 3-pointers in the highest-scoring half in franchise playoff history.

Indiana opened the second half with a 12-2 run to trim Miamis lead to eight.

The Pacers challenged a call in the final minute of the third quarter when Indianas Myles Turner got tangled up with Miamis Kelly Olynyk and was called for a loose ball foul. The call was overturned, and Olynyk was called for the loose ball foul. Turner made one of two free throws to cut Miamis lead to four.

Indiana cut it to two points three times in the fourth quarter.

TIP-INS

Heat: Dragic scored 11 points in the first quarter. … Made 6 of 9 3-pointers in the first quarter. … Outscored the Pacers 15-2 at the free-throw line in the first half.

Pacers: Coach Nate McMillan was given a technical foul in the second quarter. … Held Miami to 5-for-19 shooting in the third quarter. … Oladipo fouled out in the final minute.

UP NEXT

Game 4 is Monday.

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