As the Miami Heat begin to wrap up their preseason schedule, coach Erik Spoelstra decided that the way to handle some offensive struggles would be for Lebron James to take a night off. That night coincided on the schedule with a rematch of last year's NBA Finals, a home game against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Heat did rebound on offense, making James unnecessary and getting their biggest offensive output of the preseason, pouring it on the Spurs en route to a 121-96 victory. The Heat shot nearly 57% from the field and over 46% from behind the three-point line as a team.
James Jones, starting in place of James, was a big part of the reason why the Miami offense had its best performance of the exhibition season. Jones scored 18 points on six of eight shooting from downtown in 24 minutes.
The Heat also got a big night from Dwayne Wade. His 25 points was his highest total of a preseason in which he has been played sparingly to save him for the regular season. With less than two weeks until the regular season opener against the Chicago Bulls, the offensive performance for Miami was vital for the Heat's confidence.
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Frustrations had surfaced for Miami coming into their game with the Spurs. In their two previous games, both losses, the Heat scored a total 144 points. Miami shot only 35% from the field and made only 53% of their shots from the charity stripe.
What should be even more encouraging for the Heat is that they scored the 121 points against as regular of a rotation for San Antonio as a preseason game offers without James playing a second. The scoring was well-distributed and the offense well executed despite lacking its best player.
With two more preseason outings before that headliner game against the Bulls, the Heat have more chances to fine tune their game in preparation. If Miami can continue to get contributions across the board, it will be hard to beat.
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