Triple take: Spurs 115, Heat 111

Devin Vassell went from being a game-time decision to the star of the game. Shaking off some early rust after missing Thursday’s win over Houston with a sore left knee, Vassell hit a pair of 20-foot step-back jumpers in a 39-second span with under two minutes left to lift the Spurs to a 115-111 win over the Heat on Saturday. “He’s becoming a very confident shooter,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He wants the ball. He’s not afraid of the challenge. It’s fun to watch him.” The hard-fought victory came on the 26th anniversary of Gregg Popovich’s first game as the club’s coach. “We won,” Popovich said. “That’s what I liked the most.” The win gave the Spurs (7-18) their first two-game winning streak since they beat Chicago and Minnesota on Oct. 28 and 30th.

It also snapped a four-game losing streak to Miami (12-15) and an eight-game road skid. After losing 11 straight before downing Houston at home, the Spurs will get a chance to tie their longest winning streak of the season when they host Cleveland on Monday. “Shoot, we’ve had a lot of people out, a lot of injuries,” Vassell said. “But that just shows the resilience of this team, and we are ready to get another one.” Keldon Johnson led the Spurs with 21 points on 2 of 7 from the floor. Romeo Langford made the most of his second start in a row, scoring a career high 19 points. In 26 minutes off the bench, Vassell scored 18 points on 7 of 13 from the field and 1 of 4 from 3-point range. “I felt good warming up and knew I was going to play,” Vassell said. “They told me I wasn’t going to start and would be on a minutes restriction, but as long as I was playing, that’s all I cared about.” Vassell missed his first three shots, all from beyond the arc, but he was deadly accurate when it counted most. “I am extremely confident, and I definitely want the ball in those positions,” Vassell said. “Coach has confidence in me, and I just took the shots. That’s it.”