Heat storm back to edge Spurs

Field Level Media|published: Sun 12th November, 22:04 2023

Nov 12, 2023; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) drives to the basket past San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) during the first half at Frost Bank Center. credits: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

Duncan Robinson scored a season-high 26 points and Josh Richardson had seven points in a decisive fourth-quarter stretch as the visiting Miami Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs 118-113 on Sunday to win their fifth straight game.

After trailing for all but a few minutes through the first three quarters, Miami tied the game at 103 on Bam Adebayo's hook shot with 4:37 to play. Over the final 4 1/2 minutes, the lead changed hands seven times, with Miami taking the lead for good on Richardson's 3-pointer with 1:58 left.

Richardson then hit a jumper in the lane to push the Heat's advantage to four points, and Jimmy Butler and Richardson each canned two free throws to finish off the come-from-behind victory.

Adebayo added 24 points and 11 rebounds, Butler had 19 points and Richardson, Kevin Love and Dru Smith hit for 12 points apiece for the Heat.

Keldon Johnson led the Spurs with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Victor Wembanyama and Zach Collins each scored 18 points, Jeremy Sochan added 16, Devin Vassell had 14 and Malaki Branham tallied 13. Wembanyama also grabbed 11 rebounds for San Antonio, which has lost five straight games.

A free throw and a hook shot by Collins and a 3-pointer by Vassell allowed the Spurs to expand a five-point lead into an 18-7 advantage at the 4:48 mark of the first quarter. San Antonio then scored seven of the next nine points to expand its margin to 16 and led 29-15 at the end of the period.

The Spurs led 42-24 after a 3-pointer by Johnson with 8:02 to play in the second quarter. Miami countered with a 17-0 run that featured 12 points from Robinson to pull within a point with 4:43 to play until halftime. The Heat tied the game at 47 on a three-point play by Butler with 2:18 left before San Antonio was able to forge a 53-50 edge at the break.

Adebayo and Robinson led the Heat with 12 points apiece before halftime while Butler added 11. Collins paced San Antonio with 10 points.

Love had all 12 of his points in the third period, including the Heat's final nine, before Branham's four-point play with 31 seconds left propelled San Antonio to an 84-82 lead heading into the fourth.

—Field Level Media

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