Miami Heat cannot stop San Antonio Spurs, fall 117-105
By Ivan Mora
The downward spiral that is Miami Heat Basketball continues, as they fall short 117-105 to the San Antonio Spurs.
After a surprisingly strong first quarter, outscoring the San Antonio Spurs 35-29, the Miami Heat quickly let their guard down; possessions starting turning into turnovers, and they started to slip away.
Even Tyler Johnson’s season-high 25 points wasn’t enough to mount a comeback against the now agile and resilient San Antonio Spurs. Ironically enough, Johnson’s second season-high was 23 points, in the team’s first meeting against the Spurs, that resulted in an 117-100 loss.
But at least Miami got five more points this time. The Heat also finished with 18 3’s for the night, a step in the right direction.
Goran Dragic finished with just eight points on 3-of-11 shooting, leaving Dion Waiters to pick up the slack a bit with 22 points. This brought him to a +10 for the night as well, another positive for Miami but not enough to seal the deal.
Unfortunately, this backcourt still cannot seem to find consistency, at a time they desperately need it.
Bam Adebayo made his fourth consecutive start in place of Hassan Whiteside, as he remains out with a bruised left knee. The rookie’s hustle was all over the place, trying to make a name for himself in the big leagues, but sadly wasn’t effective offensively nor statistically. He finished with six points and three rebounds, on a short 3-of-4 shooting outing.
The San Antonio Spurs on the other hand, dominated basically from start to finish.
Rudy Gay continued his strong performance with 16 points, while LaMarcus Aldridge contributed 18. The most admirable thing about this Spurs team, dating back since 2003, is their chemistry and teamwork. Tonight was no different, as eight Spurs players scored in double figures.
The Spurs are just that team that has eyes everywhere. They see the opposition’s holes perfectly, and execute to perfection.
"“That’s what they do,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They just get you scrambling. The way they move the ball is exceptional and their pace, even though they don’t play typically a fast pace in terms of scoring, their half court pace is up there with anybody in the league just how hard they run their cuts and how hard they put the ball on the floor.”"
Even on an extreme fast break where the Spurs miss the easy layup and the Heat come back on defense, they still leave that small gap open for second-chance opportunities. That destroyed the Heat and they were never able to recuperate.
History also reminds us that this specific matchup hasn’t always been kind to the Miami Heat.
Ever since March 31, 2013 in a Heat-Spurs game where Spoelstra benched both LeBron James and Dwyane Wade and still came out with the win, the Heat have never been able to win in San Antonio. Tonight was deja vu all over again.
The San Antonio Spurs improve to 17-8, locking up the third spot in the Western Conference, while the Miami Heat slip to 11-13; tenth, in the now suddenly competitive Eastern Conference.
Next: Miami Heat Makes and Misses: Adebayo, Richardson and inconsistency
Let’s hope this struggle turns around as Miami faces off with the Brooklyn Nets in Mexico City, this Saturday, December 9.