Kawhi Leonard, Spurs rout Heat for 2-1 NBA Finals lead

MIAMI — It took the San Antonio Spurs 16 minutes to regain home-court advantage in the NBA Finals.

A brilliant, near-perfect, record-breaking offensive start to Game 3 propelled the Spurs to a 111-92 victory over the Miami Heat and a 2-1 series lead in the NBA Finals.

The Spurs reached 50 points not late in the second quarter and not early in the third. They had 50 points with 9:24 left in the second quarter and if the Spurs took a shot — any shot — there was a great chance the ball went in.

"That'll never happen again," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "That was crazy."

San Antonio made 19 of its first 21 shots and took a 55-30 lead with 8:09 left in the second quarter. The Spurs had 71 by halftime, making Miami's impressive 55.9% shooting obsolete.

Because a Popovich-coached Spurs team had never lost a playoff game when leading by 20 or more points at halftime, it was over.

For the most part. The Heat trimmed a 25-point deficit to seven points late in the third quarter. But Marco Belinelli's three-pointer pushed it to 84-74, and the Heat never had enough gas left to really threaten San Antonio.

Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard, who didn't scored in double figures in the first two games of the series, had 16 points in the first quarter and finished with a career-high 29 points. The Spurs needed a breakout Finals game from Leonard, and they got it — along with help.

"I was just able to get into a rhythm tonight," Leonard said.

Popovich added, "That's how he's played all year long. He's got to be one of our better players on the court or we're not good enough. That's just the way it is. He's got that kind of talent where ‑‑ you know, it's the NBA Finals. You can't just be mediocre out there if you want to win a game, and everybody's got to play well, and he did that."

The Spurs' set Finals records for shooting percentage in the first quarter (86.7%), passing the mark set the 1991 Chicago Bulls, and shooting percentage for a half (75.8%), eclipsing the Orlando Magic's record established in 2009.

"They came out at a different gear than what we were playing at," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We have to regroup tomorrow and come out with a much better game Thursday.

"You have to deal with all the emotions that happen in the Finals — frustration, anger, pain, elation, all of it, and it can swing back and forth. It's a long series. We have to be able to manage this, and it starts with tomorrow owning it."

LeBron James had 22 points, five rebounds and seven assists. He also had seven turnovers. Dwyane Wade added 22 for the Heat. Those two and Chris Bosh combined to go 21-for-30 from the field. But the Heat's offense wasn't the problem. Miami shot 51.6% from the field and 47.6% on threes and still lost by 19.

Popovich and the Spurs players bemoaned their ball movement after Miami's Game 2 victory. But it's one thing to move the ball for open looks. It' another to make just about every shot.

It was Miami's first playoff loss this season, and a rare road win for the Spurs against Miami since Bosh and James joined Wade in 2010-11. The Spurs are now 2-7 in Miami in the past four seasons.

The Game 3 winner has been gone on to win the Finals 30 of the last 36 times. But keep in mind, San Antonio won Game 3 against Miami last year — it was a blowout — and Miami won the title.

"They jumped on us," James said. "They were the aggressors and had us on our heels from the start, which shouldn't happen at this point in the season."

But forget San Antonio's hot shooting. That's a rare occurrence and difficult to replicate. The Heat were not sharp defensively to start the game and can't afford that in Game 4 in Miami. They also need better play from point guards Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole who were 3-for-14 from the field.

The Heat have been great since the 2011 Finals taking responsibility for their mistakes. They have not lost consecutive playoff home games since 2012 — a string of 13 consecutive victories following a loss.

Now, pressure is on Miami. The Heat in the Big 3 era have not trailed a series by two games, except for the 4-2 Finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks in 2011.

Not only do the Heat not want to trail 3-1, they don't want to go back to San Antonio with the Spurs on the cusp of redemption.

"We will get better from tonight," James said. "We hate the performance we put on tonight. But it's 2-1, not 4-1."