Postgame grades: Late run not enough to lift Miami Heat over Spurs

110. Final. 94. 29. 90

JOSH RICHARDSON. C-. For a sophomore second round pick, 8 points and 4 assists doesn’t sound bad, but when 3 turnovers and 4 fouls are added to the end of that very stat line, one starts to have doubts. From the very start, Richardson struggled to find his shot. The ball didn’t find the net until his fourth attempt, and by then, Miami was already down by double digits in a very hostile environment. All the injury excuses aside, Miami needs “Rook 2” to flash his form of a year ago, particularly with Goran Dragic sidelined nursing an ankle injury.. PG. Miami Heat

B+. Dropping a season-high 27 points, some may be shocked Waiters didn’t receive an A. After all, 16 fourth quarter points is impressive, and the degree of difficulty on some of those shots blew me away. However, outside of the fourth, Waiters was relatively quiet, scoring just 11 combined points during quarters one, two and three. Had it not been “too little, too late,” no. 11 may have been plastered all over Miami sports channels right now.. SG. Miami Heat. DION WAITERS

F. In maybe the most disappointing effort put forth in his young career, the former Duke Blue Devil once again threw up a head-scratcher of a performance. Finishing with just 7 points on 3-for-12 shooting (25 percent,) Winslow clanked both attempts from beyond the arc, reminding the entire world just how far he must go to become a finished product in this league. 5 assists and only a couple of fouls while guarding Leonard for much of the night are the only factors that save this stinker from receiving an F-.. SF. Miami Heat. JUSTISE WINSLOW

Miami Heat. DERRICK WILLIAMS. D-. After suffering the misery that was the Luke Babbitt experience, many felt Williams could make a much stronger impact if inserted into the lineup. One start in, and it appear as if Miami’s struggle at finding a reliable Power Forward is beginning to take a tole on the entire team. 5 points and 1 rebound on 2-for-6 shooting does not warrant starter’s minutes, and if not solved soon, may force Pat Riley to begin exploring outside options.. PF

A-. Controlling the paint for much of the evening, Whiteside thoroughly controlled the boards, pulling down an absurd 17 rebounds. Even more impressive? He missed a mere two shots all game long, finishing 9-for-11 from the field (he did manage to miss four of nine free throw attempts.) While once again visibly frustrated for a large portion of the night, Whiteside’s physicality and gaudy numbers still warrant a passing grade.. C. Miami Heat. HASSAN WHITESIDE

C. While many would argue a solid stat line of 11 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists is completely acceptable for the young guard, his salary says otherwise. Jumping from league-minimum pay to $12.5 million per season warrants more than the hesitancy Johnson displayed for much of the night. A typically sound free throw shooter, Johnson only managed to connect on three of his six attempts from the line and did not attempt a three all night. If the Heat hope to have a glimmer of hope down the road, Spoelstra will certainly need more out of Johnson.. SG. Miami Heat. TYLER JOHNSON

JAMES JOHNSON. C+. A role player expected to come in an execute his job to the fullest of his ability, Johnson has been the face of scrutiny ever since being victimized by LeBron James during the 2010 Playoffs. Connecting on two of his four field goal attempts, the journeyman finished with 7 points and 5 rebounds to go along with a couple of blocks. While Johnson committed 5 fouls and finished with a -11 plus/minus rating, his physicality assisted in bringing the sense of toughness Miami exerted on the defensive end during the second half.. SF. Miami Heat