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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
MIAMI (AP) – Don't write off Tim Hardaway just yet. Miami Heat
coach Pat Riley certainly hasn't.
|  | | Avery Johnson tries to get around Tim Hardaway in a battle of point guards. |
The 34-year-old point guard scored 20 of his 25 points in the
second half and added eight assists as Miami ran its winning streak
to four games Sunday by beating the San Antonio Spurs 88-83.
"For all of you guys that ever have a notion about retiring Tim
Hardaway, this is why he's here," Riley said.
Hardaway's 3-pointer with 20.7 seconds remaining gave Miami an
86-81 lead. He was 5-for-8 from 3-point range and sealed the
victory with a pair of free throws with 10.3 seconds left.
His late 3-pointer came with San Antonio's David Robinson in his
face.
"I had a good look at it," said Hardaway, an 11-year veteran.
"(Robinson) thought I was going to pick-and-roll. I surprised him
and took a 3. He just looked at me."
Tim Duncan had 26 points and 14 rebounds for the Spurs, whose
three-game winning streak ended. San Antonio, 26-6 since late
January, has won nine of 11.
Robinson added 18 points for the Spurs, who failed to top 90
points for the first time in 14 games.
"Any time Tim Hardaway plays the way he did today, he gives
them a chance to win," Spurs guard Avery Johnson said.
"He's the key. He's been the key. He never seems to get enough
credit down here."
The Spurs rallied from 12 points down in the third quarter and
tied the game twice in the fourth quarter. But poor foul shooting –
13-of-22 from the line – hurt the team down the stretch.
"We made too many mistakes throughout the whole game," said
Duncan, who was 6-for-10 from the line. "We didn't give ourselves
the opportunity to win the game."
Miami, meanwhile, was 9-for-16 from 3-point range and shot 50
percent from the field overall.
"They were sharp and more aggressive than we were," Spurs
coach Gregg Popovich said. "We made some adjustments in the second
half and got back in the game, but then Tim took over. Tim used his
court smarts and took over the game."
Anthony Mason added 16 points and Brian Grant finished with 12
points and 10 rebounds for Miami, winners of five straight at home.
Grant's 16-foot jumper with 58.3 seconds left gave Miami an
83-78 lead. The basket came after Robinson's pass intended for
Antonio Daniels went out of bounds.
"We knew they were going to let us shoot from the outside,"
Grant said. "We just let it go and zeroed in."
The Spurs trailed by 13 points in the second quarter and by 12
in the third. They pulled even at 70 on Johnson's layup with 10:01
left in the game.
Miami shot 59 percent in the first half and led 46-37 at the
break. The biggest lead was 36-23, on Eddie House's 22-footer.
"Nobody shoots 60 percent against us because our defense is
usually a lot more effective than it was today," Robinson said.
"We give (Miami) credit."
Duncan and Robinson carried San Antonio in the first half,
combining for 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting. But the rest of the
Spurs shot just 5-for-18.
"We needed this for a lot of reasons," Riley said. "The key
to the game was containing their perimeter game."
Game notes
Heat guard Eddie Jones (dislocated left shoulder) is
shooting in practice but is not close to returning, Riley said.
Jones hopes to be back for the playoffs. ... Grant entered Sunday
averaging 20.3 points over his last eight games, raising his season
average to 15.8. ... The Spurs are 23-6 since inserting 15-year
veteran Terry Porter into the starting lineup. ... San Antonio is
18-10 against the Eastern Conference.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
San Antonio Clubhouse
Miami Clubhouse
RECAPS
Toronto 102
Vancouver 92
Orlando 84
Indiana 82
Miami 88
San Antonio 83
Milwaukee 105
Atlanta 98
Boston 102
Chicago 98
Minnesota 105
New Jersey 91
LA Lakers 84
Sacramento 72
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