The Miami Heat (41-29) visit San Antonio to take on the Spurs (59-11) in what should be a low-scoring game. Action begins at 8:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Mar. 23 and can be seen on SUN and FSW.
The Spurs are hoping for a better outcome after their 91-88 loss to the Hornets on Monday. Despite the loss, Tim Duncan earned his 11th double-double this season with 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Heat, meanwhile, are coming off a 113-99 win against the Pelicans on Tuesday. Hassan Whiteside claimed his 33rd double-double of the season with 24 points and 14 rebounds.
Half-court execution will be of utmost importance when two of the NBA’s slowest-paced teams square off. San Antonio ranks 27th in the league in possessions per game (95.5), while Miami is 28th (95.2).
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Spurs winning the first matchup 119-101. In the victory, LaMarcus Aldridge led all scorers on the team with 28 points.
Notes
The Heat have a 31-10 record when they allow fewer than 100 points. The Spurs, however, have performed well when they score under 100 points, with a record of 16-9 in such matchups.
The Miami Heat have a poor 10-19 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The San Antonio Spurs are 43-2 when they hit the century mark.
The Spurs have the best defense in the NBA, with a defensive rating of 96.1. The Heat have an offensive rating of 104.6 (ranked 12th).
The San Antonio Spurs have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking second in the league with a FG% of 48.7%. When their opponents have a similar or higher FG%, the Miami Heat are 7-9.
The Miami Heat rank higher for their field goal percentage (fourth) than their effective field goal percentage (11th), while the San Antonio Spurs rank the same for both metrics (second).
On average, the San Antonio Spurs make 25.0 assists per game and the Miami Heat make 20.9. San Antonio is ranked third, while Miami is ranked 23rd.
The Miami Heat earn the most blocks per game with an average of 6.6. At fifth, the San Antonio Spurs also rank near the top of the league with 6.0 blocks each game.
The San Antonio Spurs rank 25th in offensive rebounding, while the Miami Heat rank sixth in defensive rebounding.
Miami makes an average of 6.6 steals per game. San Antonio has a superb 41-7 record when it gives up at least 6 steals.
