The Miami Heat rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 120-98 Tuesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. The victory snapped the Heat's three-game losing streak. The Heat, playing without the injured Dwyane Wade, used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take control. Wade was out with a sprained ankle.
Forward LeBron James led all scorers with 33 points, 10 assists and five rebounds. Chris Bosh added 30 points, eight rebounds and five assists while swingman Mike Miller finished with a season-high 18 points, all coming on 3-pointers. It was Miller's first game back since undergoing offseason hernia surgery.
The Heat shot 75 percent in the decisive third quarter. Guard Tony Parker led the Spurs with 18 points. It was the third straight blowout in a game involving these two teams. They traded 30-point victories last season, with each team winning on its home floor.
QUOTABLE: "We have a great luxury with three players who can do special things when you need it. No question about it, LeBron and Chris were brilliant offensively tonight and shouldered a big load there. But I told the guys that make no mistake about it, the commitment, the activity on the defensive side of the floor in the second half was about as good as we can be."
- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra
THE STAT: The Heat made a season-high 16 3-pointers, including six in the decisive third quarter. They finished 16 of 26 from the arc.
TURNING POINT: After trailing by 14 at halftime, the Heat outscored the Spurs 39-12 in the third quarter. The Heat scored 17 straight at one point. Miami made 15-of-20 fields while the Spurs were held to 21 percent shooting.
QUOTABLE II: "LeBron James was great," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He waited for the third quarter to come out and he went wild. That certainly helped them kick our butts. More than that in the second half, I thought they got really physical and I felt we folded."
HOT: James finished with 33 points on 12-of-21 shooting, including 4-of-6 on 3-pointers. He scored 17 in the third quarter. James also had 10 assists and five rebounds.
NOT: The Spurs shot just 4-of-19 in the third quarter, hitting 1-of-7 from 3-point range. They finished the quarter with as many turnovers as field goals and scored only 12 points.
GOOD MOVE: Spoelstra was cautious with Miller, but it was valuable to get him back in the offensive flow. His return gives the Heat another scoring threat, and a game as such will help him recover from missing the first 12 games of the season.
BAD MOVE: The Spurs had no answer when the Heat upped their defensive pressure in the third quarter. It led to several poor shots, with many coming late in the shot clock. The Spurs, known for their offensive rhythm, had a rare quarter of out of sync basketball.
NOTABLE: Heat swingman Miller was active for the first time since undergoing preseason hernia surgery. The Heat were without center Dexter Pittman, who was experiencing flu-like symptoms. James was just 3-of-10 on 3-pointers before Tuesday. The Heat are 4-0 without Wade this season. The Spurs have yet to win on the road this season.http://www.nba.com/video/games/heat/2012/01/17/0021100197_sas_mia_recap.nba