Miami Heat-San Antonio Spurs Preview: Can Heat Spoil Victor Wembanyama’s Kaseya Center Debut?
The Miami Heat got back on track Tuesday night with a 121-95 blowout win against the Orlando Magic.
The Heat, now in the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference, turn their attention to the San Antonio Spurs on the second night of a back-to-back. In a matchup of all-time great coaches, Erik Spoelstra's Heat (27-24) are on an entirely different trajectory than Gregg Popovich’s Spurs (10-40).
The Spurs have the third-worst worst record in the NBA. The only thing to cheer has been the growth of generational talent Victor Wembanyama.
Previous Matchups
The Heat won the first meeting 118-113 Nov. 12 in San Antonio. The Spurs shot 46 percent but the Heat took advantage of making 28 of 30 free throws.
Without an injured Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson led seven players in double figures with 26 points. Bam Adebayo also had 24 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Keldon Johnson led the Spurs with 20 points, 12 rebounds and six assists while Wembanyama had 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
Opposing Players to Watch
Wembanyama, Johnson and Devin Vassell lead the Spurs.
Wembanyama is the Rookie of the Year frontrunner, averaging 20.4 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists. He also leads the league with 3.1 blocks a game and tied for the fifth-best defensive rating (108.8).
With Wembanyama’s arrival, Johnson has regressed from his breakout season last year (22.0 points per game). He is averaging 16.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists.
Vassell plays similar to Johnson, both statistically and stylistically. Both are solid offensively but subpar defensively. Vassell averages 18.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists, but his 120.4 defensive rating is 19th worst in the NBA.
Key Matchup
Victor Wembanyama vs. Bam Adebayo
Adebayo held Wembanyama to 36 percent shooting in the previous meeting. The 20-year-old Spurs star has become a more effective scorer and an increasingly confident defender since. Wembanyama has eclipsed his season scoring average (20.4) in 10 of his last 12 games.
Nick Crandell is a staff contributor at Inside the Heat.
He can be reached at nick.crandell33@gmail.com or follow him on Instagram @nickcrandell
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