MIAMI — The defending champion San Antonio Spurs returned to Miami for the first time since last year's NBA finals and delivered a 95-81 defeat to the struggling Heat. Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds while French guard Tony Parker added 16 points and a game-high five assists and Tim Duncan contributed 12 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. It was the 14th win in 17 games for the Spurs and their fourth in a row, boosting San Antonio to 48-26 on the season, one loss behind Portland for fifth place in the Western Conference. The Heat slid to 34-40, seventh in the Eastern Conference, one win ahead of Brooklyn and only one game ahead of ninth-place Boston. San Antonio and Miami met in the past two NBA finals, the Heat winning in seven games in 2013 before falling to the Spurs in five last June. While Miami has stumbled since the departure of LeBron James to Cleveland, the Spurs have maintained their solid base in hopes of contending for a title repeat, with Leonard becoming a crucial playmaker. “Guys are starting to double team me and give me more attention in the post but I've learned a lot,” Leonard said. “It's great confidence for me. The guys are starting to trust me. I've just got to find my teammates open shots. I can't be selfish or stubborn out there.” Goran Dragic led Miami with 19 points while Dwyane Wade added 15. Pistons 105, Hawks 95: Andre Drummond had 22 points and 13 rebounds as the Detroit Pistons gave Stan Van Gundy his 400th coaching victory by downing the Atlanta Hawks 105-95. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope supplied 18 points, including 12 in the second half, and Reggie Jackson contributed 12 and 11 assists for Detroit (29-45), who have won five of six. Anthony Tolliver also had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Van Gundy became the 43rd coach in NBA history to reach the 400-win mark. Nets 111, Pacers 106: Brook Lopez continued his dominant play of late, scoring 24 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, and Joe Johnson added 21 including a clutch three-pointer in the closing seconds as the Brooklyn Nets beat Indiana 111-106. The victory was the fourth straight for the Nets (33-40) and their fifth in their last six games as they moved a half-game ahead of idle Boston into the eighth and final playoff place in the Eastern Conference with nine games to play. The Pacers lost for the eighth time in their last 10 games and fell to 32-42, 1 1/2 games behind the Nets in the standings. The Pacers were led by George Hill, who had 28 points. Warriors 110, Clippers 106: Stephen Curry scored 27 points and Klay Thompson added 25 to guide the Golden State Warriors to a 110-106 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. Blake Griffin had 40 points, 12 rebounds and five assists for the Clippers (49-26), who had their seven-game winning streak snapped. Chris Paul finished with 27 points and nine assists. David Lee had 17 points for the Warriors (61-13), who won their 10th in a row despite trailing by 17 early on. Two free throws by Paul knotted the score at 100 with 3:11 left, but the Clippers' offense stalled down the stretch. — Agencies
