San Antonio Spurs (54-19) beat Miami Heat (38-34) 136-111 on the road on Monday, March 23. The final margin was 25 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Spurs had the better start, winning the first 38-31 to lead by 7 after one. The Spurs kept the pressure on with a 38-27 second quarter, carrying a 18-point lead into halftime.
The Spurs won the third 32-23 to create some separation, taking a 27-point lead into the fourth. The Heat took the fourth 30-28; the Spurs held on for a 136-111 regulation win.
Why it was lopsided
The Spurs grabbed 35.4% of their own misses, while the Heat recovered 13.5%. The Spurs got more from their shots, finishing at 55% effective field-goal shooting compared with 48.4% for the Heat. The second chances kept adding up.
The Heat did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 11 against 13.5. The Spurs made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 110 possessions per team, the Spurs produced 123.6 points per 100 possessions to 100.9 for the Heat.
Who stood out
Victor Wembanyama was the game's biggest individual force for SAS: 26 pts, 15 reb, 4 ast, 5 blk on 11-22 shooting. His Game Score of 23.8 led everyone. His team was +19 with him on the floor.
Victor Wembanyama (26 pts, 15 reb, 4 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 61% for the Spurs.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Miami Heat lead 2-1.
The Spurs are now 54-19, and the Heat are 38-34. The Spurs last five before this game: W-W-W-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.