The San Antonio Spurs produced a stunning first-half display on their way to an 111-92 victory over the Miami Heat in game three of the NBA Finals.
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Heading into the game with the series level at 1-1, San Antonio made the perfect start to take control early on in South Florida.
Gregg Popovich's side found their form early on, and they ended the opening two quarters with a 75.8% shooting success rate.
Kawhi Leonard, who finished the night with 29 points, was dominant at both ends of the court in the first half as he helped the Spurs score 41 points in the opening 12 minutes.
Despite scoring 25 points of their own in each of the first two quarters, Miami were still an obvious second best to San Antonio, who claimed a 71-50 lead at half time.
Erik Spoelstra's words at the interval clearly had an impact as Miami returned to briefly spark hopes of a dramatic fightback by restricting their rivals to 15 points in the third quarter, and reducing the deficit to just seven at one stage.
LeBron James and Dwyane Wade combined for 44 points for the hosts, but it failed to make a difference as the defending champions struggled to chip further away at San Antonio's advantage.
The Spurs managed to get the better of Miami once again to safely secure the victory ahead of game four in the same arena on Thursday night.
Callum Mulvihill
