Miami Heat’s Chris Bosh (left) and Dwyane Wade.

MCT/Indianapolis

Progress has been a word thrown around the Miami Heat locker room throughout the season.

Lately, the only steps taken have been in the opposite direction. The Heat blew yet another third-quarter lead in a 106-95 loss to Indiana Pacers Wednesday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

“A lack of defensive disposition,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It started right out of the gate with (the Pacers) making six straight shots without us offering any resistance and we just couldn’t overcome it from there.”

The Heat have now lost four of five, the lone victory coming against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Christmas Day. Relief doesn’t appear anywhere near in sight, with six of the next seven games on the road. Guard Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 20 points while Chris Bosh added 18 points and eight rebounds.

The Pacers, who made 10 3-pointers, were led by CJ Miles’ 25 points off the bench.

“We were trading baskets early and then toward the end of the third they went on a run,” Wade said. “We didn’t close the quarter out good at all in the last minute. They went on a 7-0 run or something like that. It’s been our case all season, third quarter.”

The loss was an all too familiar one for the Heat. They have allowed opponents to climb back into games during the third quarter on several occasions. This was just the latest meltdown for the league’s worst team at the start of second halves. They have been outscored by 124 points in the third quarter.

“This last month, it’s been defined by eight minutes in a game,” Spoelstra said. “And a lot of these games we just need to figure it out and own it. We’ve already talked about it enough, but the third quarters have not been good for us.”

This time, it came after at least a solid start to the second half.

The Heat grabbed a 55-44 lead on Luol Deng’s jumper with 10 minutes, 55 seconds left in the quarter. A couple free throws by Chris Andersen made it three straight scoring possessions to start the half.

Things still appeared under control even after Indiana needed just two minutes to pull within 56-53. The Heat still were able to keep a safe distance, extending the lead to many as seven.

The game began to unravel after Danny Granger made a jumpshot to put them ahead 70-66 at the 2:09 mark. The Pacers then scored the game’s next 12 points, taking their first lead of the second half on two C.J. Watson free throws.

A Watson 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter pushed the Pacers’ run to 15-0.

“I was too busy playing,” Bosh said. “I had no idea what happened ... It is what it. We’re going to be stuck in this position until we do something about it. It’s a trend but we’re not doing anything about it. We can sit here and talk all we want but the proof is in your actions.”

The game started as a humbling homecoming for Granger, who spent eight seasons with the Pacers. He scored seven of his 14 points in the first half. The Heat shot 57 percent from the field, building a 51-42 lead at halftime. They even held a rebounding advantage against the Pacers, a team they usually struggle against on the boards.

It all went to waste because of the poor start in the second half.