Shaq back but Heat still lose
26 January, 2007
Shaquille O’Neal returned to the floor for the defending NBA champion Miami Heat but it wasn’t enough to help them get over the line as they fell 96-94 in overtime to the Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers rallied 13 point three quarter time deficit to force overtime, they had trailed by as many as 20 points during the third.
O’Neal finished with five points and five rebounds in 14 minutes, playing his first game after missing the previous 35 while recovering from knee surgery.
Dwyane Wade scored a game high 32 points to go with his eight assists while former Golden State
Warrior Troy Murphy finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Pacers.
The Pacers nailed a trio of three pointers to gain all the momentum early in the fourth quarter taking a shock 75-74 lead.
The teams headed into overtime after Wade missed a long range jumper after Gary Payton had stolen the ball with 4.1 seconds left on the clock.
Miami is at New York on Friday while the Pacers host the Toronto Raptors.
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©2007 AAP