The San Antonio Spurs finished their recent home stand with yet another victory as they recorded a wire-to-wire win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night. The Spurs have been simply dominant during this stretch, outscoring Dallas, Oklahoma City and Memphis by a combined 71 points.
The Spurs look to sustain their great form this coming Tuesday when they travel to South Beach to face the Miami Heat. Read on below for a preview of this critical matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the game between the Houston Rockets and the Toronto Raptors here.
The San Antonio Spurs stretched their unbeaten run to three games with an emphatic 103-89 win Sunday over the Memphis Grizzlies. Five players scored in double-figures for the Spurs who moved to within half a game of the Portland Trail Blazers for fifth place in the Western Conference standings.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Leading the way for the Spurs in Sunday’s win was Kawhi Leonard. The reigning NBA Finals MVP scored a game-high 25 points, 15 of which he scattered at the start of the fourth quarter. He also grabbed 10 rebounds for the Spurs who have now won 13 of their last 16 games.
Leonard’s sizzling form has been the main reason behind San Antonio’s sudden resurgence. His 25-point outburst against the Grizzlies was his ninth 20-point game in the past 15 outings. Leonard has recorded 13 double-doubles this season.
That will serve him in good stead heading into San Antonio’s clash with Miami. Leonard has fond memories of his battles with the Heat, winning the Finals MVP against them last year. He averaged 17.8 points on 61 percent shooting in that five-game series. He also became the youngest Finals MVP since Duncan won it for the Spurs back in 1999.
Leonard made mincemeat of Miami’s defense in their first meeting this regular season, scoring 24 points in San Antonio’s 98-85 win on February 6. Leonard is averaging a team-best 15.9 points and 2.24 steals per game this season for the defending champs.
The Spurs are 4-2 SU and ATS in their last six road games.
The Miami Heat returned to winning ways with a 109-102 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. It was a crucial win for the Heat who entered the game having lost three of their last four contests.
Dwyane Wade starred for Miami, pouring in 40 points on 14-of-27 shooting from the field. He also had six boards, four assists and one steal for the Heat who moved 1 ½ games clear of the Brooklyn Nets for seventh spot in the Eastern Conference. He did all that despite having his knee drained a day earlier.
Wade has been a vital cog to Miami’s success this season, leading the team not only in points (21.8 PPG) but also in assists (5.1 APG) as well. He will have to shoulder more of the scoring load, however, against the Spurs with the news that Luol Deng might be sidelined once again with a left knee contusion. That will be a big blow for Miami whose lineup has been ravaged with injuries this season. Deng is averaging 14.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game for Miami this campaign.
Even with those injury concerns, Miami still fancies its chances against San Antonio. The Heat have won five of their last seven regular-season meetings with the Spurs. The Heat, though, enter the game with a woeful 10-26 slate against teams with winning records.
The Heat are 8-2 SU and ATS in their last 10 home games.
