Heat battle back

The coveted NBA championship, the one LeBron James needs to validate everything, was vanishing.

With 18,000 towel-waving fans roaring like an engine over at the nearby Indianapolis Speedway, the Indiana Pacers had knocked the Miami Heat to the floor and to the edge of elimination.

James didn't panic. He simply picked up his teammates and carried them to a win.

And this time, Dwyane Wade helped.

James scored 40 points with 19 rebounds and nine assists, and Wade added 30 points - 22 in the second half - as Miami rallied to even their semifinal series against Indiana with a 101-93 win on Sunday over the Pacers, who had the defending Eastern Conference champions down couldn't keep them there.

"I felt like I had to do whatever it took to win," said James, who played all but four minutes.

With All-Star forward Chris Bosh injured and back in Florida, the James-Wade tag team saved the Heat, who will host Game 5 on Tuesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.

"Me and 'Bron had it going," said Wade, who bounced back from the worst playoff game of his career - five points on 2-of-13 shooting - with one of his best. "We played off of each other very well. We both were aggressive at the same time. That's beautiful basketball for the Miami Heat when we play that way."

Udonis Haslem, playing with a large bandage covering a nasty cut over his right eye that required nine stitches, added 14 points for Miami. Danny Granger scored 20 to lead the Pacers.

Spurs 102, Clippers 99: Tim Duncan scored 21 points, Tony Parker added 17 and visiting San Antonio rallied in the final minutes to beat Los Angeles, closing out the series 4-0 and advancing to the Western Conference finals.

The Spurs extended their winning streak to 18 games and their playoff record to 8-0, tying the third-best postseason streak in franchise history.

San Antonio could find out as soon as tonight who it will play next. Oklahoma City leads the Lakers 3-1 in their series, with Game 5 tonight.