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The Miami Heat continued their early-game struggles Monday night on the road at San Antonio, falling 94-90 to the Spurs. The Heat’s record(2-7) at the start of this season has been the worst in the franchise’s history.
San Antonio finally had all five of its starters on the court for Monday night’s game. Spurs guard Kawhi Leonard contributed 24 points and 12 rebounds, while LaMarcus Aldridge added another 18 points to help the Spurs keep a lead throughout the game.
The Heat’s first nine games include a five-game losing streak after last night. Though they held the Spurs to 26 percent shooting after halftime, Miami didn’t have enough stamina offensively to come out on top. The Spurs are now 8-3, following their third consecutive win.
However, this wasn’t an easy victory for the Spurs. They saw a season-high 17 turnovers. The Heat came back strong defensively in the second half and pulled the score up to a four-point deficit with two minutes remaining. Luckily for the Spurs, Patty Mills and Leonard were fouled on consecutive possessions so they were able to extend their lead. Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra was still encouraged by the offensive effort.
Dion Waiters had 27 points, and Hassan Whiteside followed close behind with 23 points and 17 rebounds. These two helped to keep the Heat in the game and put a scare on the Spurs in the fourth quarter. Whiteside, who had his eighth double-double of nine games this season, says his team needs to work out of their funk.
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Next Game for the Heat
Up next for Miami is a game against the Atlanta Hawks. They will try to snap their five-game losing streak as they welcome Atlanta to American Airlines Arena. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
