Jimmy Butler notched his 16th career triple-double, leading the host Miami Heat past the San Antonio Spurs 116-104 on Wednesday night.
Butler had 17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists and added a game-high three steals and no turnovers in 34 minutes.
Tyler Herro had a game-high 24 points, six rebounds and seven assists for the Heat. Bam Adebayo added 20 points on 10-for-14 shooting.
San Antonio, which has lost five straight games, was led by star rookie Victor Wembanyama, who had 18 points, a game-high 13 rebounds, three assists and one block. He made 7 of 13 shots, including 3 of 5 on 3-pointers, and he produced his 25th double-double of the season.
The Spurs, who have the worst record in the Western Conference, also got 19 points each from Devin Vassell and Tre Jones.
In a statistical oddity, both teams shot 56.5 percent from the floor in the first period and 39.1 percent in the second. They both made three 3-pointers in the first and one in the second.
Miami led 32-31 after one quarter, thanks in part to 10 points from Adebayo, and the Heat stretched their advantage to 53-51 at halftime.
Among the first-half highlights was San Antonio’s Cedi Osman banking a 28-footer just before the buzzer to end the first quarter.
With 3:33 left in the third period, San Antonio’s Jeremy Sochan dove into the stands in an attempt to save a long pass from Jones. While in the stands, Sochan playfully ate from a fan’s bucket of popcorn and also kissed the forehead of a spectator whom he inadvertently kicked in pursuit of the ball.
The third quarter ended much like the first two — with Miami holding a slim lead, this time 78-77. The first three quarters featured 16 lead changes.
Herro led all third-quarter scorers with 10 points, and the Heat finally pulled away in the fourth.
–Field Level Media
