Heat drop close scuffle with worst-in-West Spurs
MIAMI — Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said before Saturday’s matchup with the San Antonio Spurs that he did not reference the Spurs’ poor record when talking to his team.
“That’s just way too dangerous,” Spoelstra said before the game.
Although the Spurs entered the game at 7-18 — tied for the worst record in the Western Conference — Spoelstra proved prescient as the Heat went on to absorb a 115-111 loss to San Antonio at FTX Arena.
Miami (12-15) got out to a quick lead on Saturday, going ahead early in the first quarter and holding that lead for the remainder of the period. But San Antonio outscored the Heat 34-28 in the second quarter and took a lead into halftime.
The Heat pulled back into the lead in the third quarter, thanks in large part to Tyler Herro’s hot shooting. The Miami guard knocked down four 3-pointers in the third quarter, pushing the Heat to a seven-point lead with 7:02 left in the third. But it was not enough to keep Miami ahead. The Spurs kept pace and had a two-point lead after three periods.
The teams exchanged blows in a dogfight in the final quarter, but the Spurs pulled back ahead early in the quarter and held off the Heat’s attempt at a comeback.
Miami had an opportunity to extend the game with 14 seconds remaining, though the Heat could not knock down a tying or game-winning shot.
Five Degrees of Heat from Saturday’s game:
— 1. Another brutal loss: Miami already dropped one game this week to one of the worst teams in the NBA, falling 116-96 at home to Detroit on Tuesday. Facing one of the worst teams in the Western Conference, the Heat suffered another tough defeat against a struggling team.
— 2. Points in the paint: The Heat entered Saturday’s game surrendering an NBA-low 44.9 points in the paint this season, but the struggling Spurs still surpassed that, notching 54 points in the paint.
Miami’s defense struggled to keep the Spurs in check. San Antonio shot 53.8% from the field.
— 3. Out-rebounded: Another symptom of San Antonio outplaying Miami in the paint was the result on the boards. The Spurs racked up 46 rebounds, while the Heat had 32.
— 4. Oladipo working his way back: After missing the first 24 games of the season due to a knee injury, Victor Oladipo provided quality minutes for the Heat on Saturday. He played a season-high 23 minutes and notched 11 points, three rebounds and three assists. However, he did foul out late in the fourth quarter.
— 5. Robinson back in action: Forward Duncan Robinson had missed eight of Miami’s last 11 games with a left ankle sprain, including the Heat’s win over the Clippers on Thursday. But Robinson got back on the court Saturday, checking in during the third quarter.
Robinson, who entered the game averaging 17.1 minutes per game, played eight minutes and scored three points.
