LeBron James in starting lineup for Heat vs. Pacers

Published Dec. 18, 2013 5:34 p.m. ET

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MIAMI -- LeBron James will start Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers at AmericanAirlines Arena.

James, who twisted his left ankle late in the third quarter of Monday's win against Utah, had said Tuesday his status would be a gametime decision.

"I'm active, I will be playing tonight and looking forward to a great game -- two powerhouses in the East," James said nearly 45 minutes before tip-off. "It should be fun.

"I'm nowhere near 100 percent, obviously -- I'm two days away from spraining my ankle in the third quarter. But I'm good enough where I can be productive. If I felt like I was going to hurt the team I wouldn't be playing. It would be hard to miss this one, too."

Would he play if the opponent were not Indiana?

"I don't know, it was definitely an incentive," James said.

LeBron's pregame tweet:

James re-entered Monday's game in the fourth quarter and finished with 30 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists in the Heat's 117-94 victory.

Charlie McCarthy can be reached at mac1763@bellsouth.net or on Twitter @mccarthy_chas.

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