SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs used a balanced attack to defeat the Miami Heat (11-13) 117-105 at the AT&T Center on Wednesday night, as they continue their home-stand.
The Silver and Black used a nice scoring attack, led by LaMarcus Aldridge’s 18 points and four rebounds. San Antonio got a solid contribution from their bench as eight of 10 players scored in double figures.
Here is what went good and bad for the Spurs, as well as three standout players: Bryn Forbes, Danny Green, and Patty Mills.
The Good:
- San Antonio overcame a slow start to get the win. After a poor opening period, the Spurs outscored Miami in the final three quarters to grab the victory.
- Sharing is caring and the Spurs did plenty of that on Wednesday. The Silver and Black had 30 assists in the win and it was their second straight game with 30 assists or more.
- Bryn Forbes continues to shoot the basketball extremely well.
- The three-ball was falling like the rain in San Antonio on Wednesday. The Spurs connected on 13 long balls in the game.
The Bad:
- The trend of slow starts for the Spurs continued on Wednesday. San Antonio struggled in the first quarter as they allowed a season-high 35 points from the Heat.
- Turnovers continue to be a thorn in the Spurs’ sides as they committed 11 on the night.
Three Standout Players:
Bryn Forbes: The former Michigan State standout continues to impress and thus has earned more playing time from Coach Pop. Forbes finished the game with 17 points and hit all five of his three-pointers. Forbes’ play has not only earned the trust from his coach, but from his teammates as well.
His hot hand has gotten his teammates attention that they now look for him on the perimeter for the open shot. Aldridge got doubled early in the second quarter and found Forbes in the corner for a three pointer. Mills found him later as did Manu Ginobili. There is no doubt that the absence of Kawhi Leonard has only helped the Spurs role players find their footing and one can only imagine what the team will look like once they are whole again soon.
Danny Green: We all know what Danny Green can do offensively at times, but his defensive ability of late has earned him the second standout player spot. Green finished with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting and 2-of-4 from downtown. Very solid numbers from a nice sharpshooter like Green.
However, he also had three rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. Green’s two chase down blocks have become a trend of late, which has left Pop wondering where his player has learned that:
“We don’t drill for that” he said.
The Spurs may not drill for that, but it is a solid reminder of just how dangerous Green can be at all times on the court. Fans may get upset when his shot isn’t falling on a consistent basis, but they won’t ever question is ability to get back on defense and make it difficult for whoever he may be guarding to score.
Patty Mills: The fan favorite and Spurs guard hasn’t had the best start to his season shooting wise, but on Wednesday there was a glimpse his shooting ‘slump’ may be a thing of the past.
Mills finished with 13 points off the bench, hitting 3-of-6 from three point range. Those who analyze know Mills loves to get his shot off on the screen from his teammates, but teams had been guarding it closely, not allowing Mills to get his shot off. Against Miami at home, the Aussie guard found a way around that, en route to one of his best performances of the season.
Up next: The Spurs are now 17-8 on the season and will return to the court on Friday night when they welcome the red hot Boston Celtics (22-4) to the AT&T Center at 8:30 p.m.
