Grades: San Antonio Spurs at Miami Heat – Game #26

Keldon Johnson helped the Spurs sneak past the Heat (Photo via Twitter)

After a dreadful 11-game losing streak, the San Antonio Spurs have now won two straight games after defeating the Miami Heat on Saturday afternoon. The 115-111 win improved the Spurs to 8-18, while the Heat dropped to 12-15 with the loss.

A back and forth affair, the game came down to execution late in the fourth quarter. Shockingly enough, it was the youthful Spurs who executed better down the stretch. San Antonio got a pair of gigantic shots from Devin Vassell and their defense stiffened enough to cause the Heat to miss their final four shots in the last minute of the game. 

Impressive win, it must be said. The good guys went out on the road and scratched and clawed to keep the game within reach. At the end, they made the big plays they needed to make to get the W. Great learning experience for the youngsters. 

Spurs vs. Heat – Final Grades

Keldon Johnson

Johnson had a very unKeldon-like game. He shot only two three-pointers and missed both. He was also struggling to find open teammates and had four first half turnovers. But while this was an unconventional night at the office for Johnson, he ended up being rather impactful. His relentless attacking of the basket resulted in a 7-for-7 showing at the charity stripe, with all of his free throws coming in the second half. Johnson drawing fouls also allowed the Spurs to get in the bonus early and San Antonio’s 14-for-16 free throw shooting in the fourth was a leading reason why the good guys got the victory.

Grade: B+

Tre Jones

Jones was only 2-for-8 from the field but was able to leave his stamp on the game. Yes, he was missing makeable shots left and right but Jones remained undeterred and came up with a number of game-changing hustle plays. His playmaking wasn’t notable but he took care of the basketball, which in itself was a difficult thing for the rest of his teammates to accomplish. I also thought Jones played strong defense.

Grade: B

Zach Collins

It’s rare that you can say that a player who had four turnovers and six fouls played well — but you could say that regarding Collins’ play. Before he fouled out, Collins was able to play 30 solid minutes. With the Heat switching on nearly every possession, he found himself being defended by smaller opponents all the time. Collins reacted by fighting for deep position, which allowed him to finish well in the paint, draw fouls and generally wreak mayhem. This was also one of his better defensive games of the season. Collins had struggled starting in place of Poeltl but he was a lot better against Miami.

Grade: B+

Romeo Langford

It’s beginning to look like Pop may be the Romeo whisperer. With a lengthening leash, Langford is taking full advantage. Defensively, he was really good. He was attentive and was excellent individually. Langford’s only struggles on defense were when defending pick-and-rolls. Offensively, his career-high 19 points tell the story. Langford is starting to look like the silky smooth scorer he was supposed to be when coming into the league. His confidence is on the rise and he’s locating holes in a hurry and exhibiting really good touch around the basket. He has now scored in double figures four times in his last five games. As discussed in today’s Progress Report, Langford is ascending offensively and that could lead him to become a legitimate NBA player.

Grade: A

Malaki Branham

Branham got the start at shooting guard but didn’t do much. He hit a long two-pointer on a broken play and had a few heady defensive possessions. Otherwise, he looked unsure of himself on offense and overwhelmed on defense.

Grade: C-

Devin Vassell

After missing a game due to knee soreness, Vassell came off the bench so that the coaches could better monitor his minutes. Making sure Vassell was able to play at the end of the game ultimately made all the difference, as he authored the game’s two most important shots. I loved the swagger he displayed as he confidently sank the pair of beautiful clutch buckets. Vassell was also excellent in the second quarter, a period the Spurs outscored the Heat 34-28. Defensively, I thought this was his best game in a long while. He was attentive and reading passing lanes like the good ol’ days. All in all, Vassell being willing to take and make the key shots in the fourth quarter is what should be remembered about this road win in Miami.

Grade: A

Doug McDermott

McDermott was an offensive dynamo. His constant movement got him a handful of open shots. Other times, he wasn’t especially open but his lightning quick release allowed him to get shots off. McDermott was also coming off of screens and dribble hand-offs looking to pass, which resulted in a career-high tying five assists. Overall, McDermott was a deadly offensive weapon that the Heat never really found an answer for.

Grade: A

Josh Richardson

Like Jones, Richardson had a positive impact on the proceedings despite shooting poorly .Only 1-for-7 from the field, he aided the cause by totaling seven rebounds and six assists in only 23 minutes. Richardson was arguably the best playmaker on the team and his defense was sturdy. If his accuracy shooting-wise would have been better, he could have had a monstrous performance. As it was, he was still good.

Grade: B

Charles Bassey

More good stuff from Bassey. It was a rough and physical game in the paint but he didn’t back down. Defensively, he challenged shots and was physical without piling up the fouls. Offensively, Bassey finished well, knocked down a midrange jumper and passed it with a surprising amount of headiness. He’s again looking like he could be a major steal by San Antonio.

Grade: A-

Isaiah Roby

Roby had five points, four rebounds and two steals in only three minutes. That’s absurd production. Why didn’t he play more? Well, Roby had a few blatant mistakes on either end. More importantly, the Heat don’t employ a traditional power forward so Pop decided to keep four perimeter players in the game for matchup purposes.

Grade: Inc.

Pop

Tankers won’t like it but Pop did well to coach the Spurs to the win. Starting Langford and leaning on him is starting to pay dividends. I like that Branham also got to start even though he didn’t do much. The Spurs wanted to keep Vassell to around 25 minutes so it ended up being really important that Pop managed his minutes well enough to get Vassell out there during money time.

Grade: A-