Spurs-Heat Preview

By CHRIS ALTRUDA
Posted Jan 17 2012 11:34AM

The upcoming schedule this week was already going to be a challenge for the Miami Heat.

Playing it without injured star guard Dwyane Wade would make it significantly tougher.

With Wade out for at least this game, the struggling Heat open a five-game homestand Tuesday night against the San Antonio Spurs, who are again trying to carry their home success to the road.

Wade has already missed three games due to a previous foot injury and is averaging just 19.6 points - well off his 2010-11 pace of 25.5 per game. That was before he sprained his right ankle in the fourth quarter of Friday's 117-104 loss at Denver, Miami's third consecutive defeat to close a five-game trip.

Wade did not practice with the Heat (8-4) on Sunday, and while coach Erik Spoelstra ruled him out for this game Tuesday morning and did not offer a timetable for Wade's return, forward Chris Bosh would prefer his teammate take his time to get back to 100 percent.

"He needs to get healthy," said Bosh of Wade, who turns 30 on Tuesday. "That's the most important thing. He's been pushing it. He's been giving us everything he has. And unfortunately in the last game, he turned his ankle. But sometimes things happen. He probably needed to sit down and rest in the first place.

"He needs to just chill out right now, get better and we'll hold it down until he can come back," Bosh added.

Bosh is averaging 19.2 points overall, but has scored 16.3 per game on 41.7 percent shooting his last four contests. That has left LeBron James shouldering the offensive burden - something he has done by averaging 29.0 points in those four games - but it has not gotten the Heat back to winning.

Things likely won't get much easier with the Los Angeles Lakers and Atlantic Division-leading Philadelphia visiting after the Spurs.

"I've got to step it up even more offensively and defensively," James said. "Revert back to some of the ways back in Cleveland, when I knew I for the most part had to be the No. 1 option offensively."

Even without injured guard Manu Ginobili, San Antonio (9-4) has always found enough offense at home. On Sunday night, Tim Duncan picked up the slack with a season-high 24 points and 11 rebounds in 31 efficient minutes during a 102-91 victory over Phoenix as the Spurs improved to 9-0 at home.

For Duncan, the offseason work on his jumper paid dividends as he made 10 of 14 from the field.

"Especially this summer, I worked on it a lot trying to extend my range a little bit," said Duncan, who is shooting a career-low 47.3 percent. "Be a little more consistent. It's been up and down so far but great tonight."

Defensively, the Spurs appear to have found a groove. They've limited opponents to 89.7 points per game and 41.7 percent shooting during their three-game winning streak after yielding an average of 110.3 points on 53.1 percent shooting in the previous three, a 1-2 stretch.

"It's been up and down. We're not at the consistency where we need to be at," Duncan admitted. "All in all we're getting there. It's a work in progress. We know it's a long season. We use the season to get where we want to be. But defensively we have to be a lot better."

That's certainly true on the road, where the Spurs have gone 0-4 and allowed 106.3 points per game on 52.5 percent shooting. San Antonio has allowed each opponent to shoot 50.6 percent or better and score at least 105 points.

The home team won by 30 in each meeting between these teams last season, with the Heat's 110-80 victory ending San Antonio's three-game win streak in Miami.

Heat dominate 2nd half, roll past Spurs 120-98

By TIM REYNOLDS
Posted Jan 17 2012 11:17PM

MIAMI (AP) First half, all San Antonio.

Second half, all Miami - and then some.

LeBron James had 33 points and 10 assists, Chris Bosh scored 30 points - the 6-foot-11 forward going coast-to-coast for a dunk to punctuate his effort - and the Heat used a historic third-quarter turnaround to erase what was a 17-point deficit and beat the Spurs 120-98 on Tuesday night, snapping a three-game slide in an most unpredictable manner.

"We have a great luxury with three players who can do special things when you need it," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

And one of them was in street clothes. Dwyane Wade sat out his fourth game of the season, this time because of a sprained right ankle. No matter: Miami shot 68 percent in the second half, outscoring the Spurs 71-35 after halftime.

"We should be embarrassed," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

For the first 24 minutes, it was the Spurs doing all the embarrassing. San Antonio connected on 12 of its first 15 shots, led 52-35 with 3 minutes to go in the first half, and had Danny Green hit a pair of buzzer-beaters - the first from the top of the key to end the first quarter, the second from near midcourt to beat the halftime horn - to take a 63-49 lead into intermission.

What happened next left both sides befuddled.

"Can't explain it," Bosh said.

Offered Spurs guard Tony Parker: "That's basketball."

Miami outscored San Antonio 39-12 in the third quarter - matching the second-largest differential for any quarter in Heat history, and matching the second-worst differential for a period in Spurs history, according to STATS LLC. James was 7 for 9 in the third quarter. The Spurs - combined - were 4 for 19. James hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to put Miami up 72-68, and the Heat simply never stopped rolling from there.

James finished 12 for 21 from the floor, almost erasing any memory of him missing his first four shots. He was battling a cold, but offered no excuse afterward.

"Hopefully I can get over this in the next couple days where I can get back to myself," James said. "I just tried to push through it in the third quarter. My teammates did a great job of finding me and stepping up defensively. We all did that."

Mike Miller made his season debut for Miami after continuing to recover from hernia surgery and shot 6 for 6 on 3-pointers, finishing with 18 points and matching his most makes beyond the arc since joining the Heat. Spoelstra said the plan was to ease Miller back, playing him for "five or six" minutes. Miller played 15.

"Every once in a while you get going when you're a shooter," Miller said. "I just happened to do that."

Green scored 20 points for the Spurs, who got 18 from Tony Parker, 13 from DeJuan Blair and 12 from Kawhi Leonard and Gary Neal. Mario Chalmers scored 13 for Miami.

The Heat are now 4-0 without Wade this season, 8-1 since early last season without the 2006 NBA finals MVP. And unquestionably, this was the most improbable of those victories.

The comeback from down 17 matched the NBA's fifth-largest this season.

Before the game, Popovich summed his team's all-or-nothing record - 9-0 at home, now 0-5 on the road - with his usual dry wit. "We're really good at home and on the road, we (stink). That's the biggest difference," Popovich said.

He was half-serious, and it certainly didn't apply to the way the Spurs started Tuesday.

San Antonio just attacked the basket with little resistance in the early going, eight of its first 12 makes coming from no more than 11 feet and most of them directly at the rim. James was terrible at the start, missing everything from layups to free throws, and the Spurs led 35-26 after the opening quarter.

Everything was going San Antonio's way.

And then, well, nothing went the Spurs' way - especially after James found his stride.

"There's not much you can do," Parker said. "He was on fire in the third quarter. He's coming in fast breaks and he's shooting threes. There is no defense against that."

NOTES: Miller appeared to get slightly shaken up after taking a tumble in the first half, limped for a few moments, but remained in the game. ... Spurs G Gary Neal not only played through a bruised thigh, but his luck may be changing. Popovich said Neal narrowly avoided getting his vehicle struck by a large truck on the way to the airport Monday for the trip to Miami. ... Duncan has now faced the Heat 25 times. The Spurs are 17-8 in those games.

Notebook: Heat 120, Spurs 98

By Shandel Richardson, for NBA.com
Posted Tuesday January 17, 2012 10:58PM

THE FACTS: The Miami Heat rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 120-98 Tuesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. The victory snapped the Heat's three-game losing streak. The Heat, playing without the injured Dwyane Wade, used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take control. Wade was out with a sprained ankle.

Forward LeBron James led all scorers with 33 points, 10 assists and five rebounds. Chris Bosh added 30 points, eight rebounds and five assists while swingman Mike Miller finished with a season-high 18 points, all coming on 3-pointers. It was Miller's first game back since undergoing offseason hernia surgery.

The Heat shot 75 percent in the decisive third quarter. Guard Tony Parker led the Spurs with 18 points. It was the third straight blowout in a game involving these two teams. They traded 30-point victories last season, with each team winning on its home floor.

QUOTABLE: "We have a great luxury with three players who can do special things when you need it. No question about it, LeBron and Chris were brilliant offensively tonight and shouldered a big load there. But I told the guys that make no mistake about it, the commitment, the activity on the defensive side of the floor in the second half was about as good as we can be."
- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra

THE STAT: The Heat made a season-high 16 3-pointers, including six in the decisive third quarter. They finished 16 of 26 from the arc.

TURNING POINT: After trailing by 14 at halftime, the Heat outscored the Spurs 39-12 in the third quarter. The Heat scored 17 straight at one point. Miami made 15-of-20 fields while the Spurs were held to 21 percent shooting.

QUOTABLE II: "LeBron James was great," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He waited for the third quarter to come out and he went wild. That certainly helped them kick our butts. More than that in the second half, I thought they got really physical and I felt we folded."

HOT: James finished with 33 points on 12-of-21 shooting, including 4-of-6 on 3-pointers. He scored 17 in the third quarter. James also had 10 assists and five rebounds.

NOT: The Spurs shot just 4-of-19 in the third quarter, hitting 1-of-7 from 3-point range. They finished the quarter with as many turnovers as field goals and scored only 12 points.

GOOD MOVE: Spoelstra was cautious with Miller, but it was valuable to get him back in the offensive flow. His return gives the Heat another scoring threat, and a game as such will help him recover from missing the first 12 games of the season.

BAD MOVE: The Spurs had no answer when the Heat upped their defensive pressure in the third quarter. It led to several poor shots, with many coming late in the shot clock. The Spurs, known for their offensive rhythm, had a rare quarter of out of sync basketball.

NOTABLE: Heat swingman Miller was active for the first time since undergoing preseason hernia surgery. The Heat were without center Dexter Pittman, who was experiencing flu-like symptoms. James was just 3-of-10 on 3-pointers before Tuesday. The Heat are 4-0 without Wade this season. The Spurs have yet to win on the road this season.

UP NEXT: For the Heat, Thursday @ Lakers, Saturday vs. 76ers, Sunday vs. Bucks. For the Spurs, Wednesday @ Orlando, Friday vs. Kings, Saturday @ Houston.

• Spurs: Ford, Ginobili
• Heat: Curry, Pittman

• Spurs: Duncan
• Heat: --

• Lead Changes: 1
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL
• Officials: #41 Ken Mauer, #71 Rodney Mott, #50 Olandis Poole
• Attendance: 19600
• Duration: 2:09