Bam Adebayo sealed a 30-point performance by hitting a jumper at the buzzer, giving the Miami Heat a 105-103 victory over the short-handed San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.
With 3 seconds left, Kel’el Ware grabbed a missed shot by Chris Paul, and the Heat quickly called a timeout to set up their final play. Adebayo hit a 19-foot jumper as time expired, securing Miami’s first win on their four-game road trip.
In addition to his 30 points, Adebayo contributed 12 rebounds and nine assists. Terry Rozier added 19 points, Nikola Jovic had 14, and Tyler Herro finished with 11.
For the Spurs, Keldon Johnson came off the bench to lead with 19 points, while Devin Vassell scored 18. Harrison Barnes and Chris Paul each had 12 points, and Sandro Mamukelashvili and Stephon Castle scored 10 points apiece. Charles Bassey grabbed 15 rebounds.
San Antonio was without their star center, Victor Wembanyama, who missed the game due to an undisclosed illness. The Spurs were playing the second game of a home back-to-back after a dominant 144-118 win over Milwaukee on Friday.
The Spurs were down by 11 points late in the third quarter and trailed by three heading into the fourth. However, they made a comeback and took a 99-96 lead after Mamukelashvili hit a 3-pointer with 5:15 left.
Miami regained the lead with two free throws by Herro at 2:23, but Paul answered with two of his own at 1:36, tying the game.
The first quarter ended with the game tied at 33-33. Miami then went on an 8-0 run to start the second quarter, capped off by a running layup from Jovic. But the Spurs responded, with Mamukelashvili’s layup tying the game at 42 with seven minutes left in the half.
Chris Paul’s 3-pointer at 1:53 put the Spurs up 53-52, but Miami ended the half on an 11-2 run to take a 63-56 lead into halftime. Johnson led all scorers in the first half with 17 points, while Adebayo led the Heat with 14. Miami also had strong contributions from Rozier (12 points) and Jovic (11 points).
