WITHOUT Chris Bosh, championship favorites Miami suddenly looked vulnerable as they suffered an upset defeat to the Indiana Pacers, while the West’s top seeds San Antonio look to have hit peak form with a victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in their second-round opener Tuesday.

    In Miami, the Heat’s 78-75 loss left their Eastern Conference semifinal series tied at 1-1.

    Bosh has been ruled out “indefinitely” after picking up an abdominal strain in Game 1 Sunday and questions are being asked about how effective the Heat can be without one of their key components.

    With the Heat holding a 38-33 lead at halftime, however, there was little indication of the turnaround that was to put last year’s runners-up in trouble.

    Indiana dominated the third quarter, outscoring Miami 28-14 and grabbing a nine-point advantage heading into the fourth.

    With Bosh on the sidelines it was left to LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to carry the Heat. The duo came up with 21 of Miami’s 23 fourth-quarter points but James missed two free throws and Wade came up short with Miami three down and less than 10 seconds on the clock.

    Miami failed to score in the final two minutes and 41 seconds of the game and their last chance to tie the score ended when Mario Chalmers’ three-point effort hit the rim.

    In San Antonio, the Spurs ended their week-long break with a 108-92 rout of the Clippers. Tim Duncan looked fresh, the 36-year-old recording 26 points and 10 rebounds as the Spurs took advantage of a weary Los Angeles team who just concluded a physical seven-game series against Memphis.(SD-Agencies)