The San Antonio Spurs dominated Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, beating the Miami Heat 107-86. The Spurs lead the series 3-1.
The Spurs made 11 of their first 18 shots and had the lead early. They extended their lead to 31-17 with ten minutes left in the second quarter. At the half the Spur lead 55-33. Entering the fourth quarter the Heat were down 81-57. The Heat struggled offensively as they shot just 35.3 percent and LeBron James was the only Heat player to have more than eight points going into the fourth quarter, according to USA Today.
"I'm pleased that they performed as well as they did while we've been in Miami, and that's about as far it goes," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Now, we've got to go back home and play as well or better."
Kawhi Leonard had 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Spurs. Tony Parker had 19 points and Tim Duncan had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs. The Spurs shot 57 percent from the field and are hitting 54 percent of their shots in the series, according to the Associated Press. James had 28 points and eight rebounds, while Dwyane Wade had 10 points and Chris Bosh had 12 points for the Heat.
"They just played great and I can honestly say I don't think any of us were expecting this kind of performance," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "They were great. You have to give them credit for that. We just couldn't get into a rhythm on either side of the ball, and it went from there."
This is the first time the Heat have trailed in a series by two games since losing the 2011 NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks. If the Heat come back to win the series it would be the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history as no team has ever overcome a 3-1 deficit in the finals.
Game 5 in Sunday in San Antonio where the Spurs can win their fifth championship and first since 2007.