Danny Green #4 of the San Antonio Spurs reacts after making a three-pointer in the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat during Game Three of the 2013 NBA Finals at the AT&T Center on June 11, 2013 in San Antonio, Texas.

 

The San Antonio Spurs captured game three of the 2013 NBA finals on Tuesday night, defeating the Miami Heat, 113-77, at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.

San Antonio led after the first quarter, 24-20, and then outscored Miami, 26-24, in the second quarter, to take a 50-44 advantage into the locker room at halftime.

The Spurs kept their foot on the gas pedal in the second half, extending the lead to 78-63 after three quarters, and then coasting to the 36-point win, the third largest in NBA Finals history.

The win gives San Antonio, who moved to 7-1 at home in the post-season, a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven game series.

The Spurs out-shot the Heat from the floor, 49%-41%, while also finishing with a 52-36 rebound advantage.

The key to the game though was San Antonio's ability to drain the three-point shot, pouring in an NBA Finals record 16 three-pointers, on 32 attempts, with Danny Green and Gary Neal combining for 13 of the three-pointers made.

Green, who was playing in the D-League, as recently as 2011, paved the way for the Spurs, going 9-15 from the field, including 7-of-9 from beyond the three-point arc, and finishing with a game-high 27 points, while Neal, who went undrafted coming out of college, and spent the first three years of his career playing overseas, contributed 24 points, going 9-of-17 from the floor, including 6-of-10 from beyond the arc.

Tim Duncan, finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds, and Tony Parker, who left the game with an injured hamstring in the final period, finished with six points and eight assists.

Parker, who will have an MRI on Wednesday, is questionable for game four on Thursday evening.

In a losing cause for Miami, Dwyane Wade paced the team, with 16 points, while LeBron James finished with a double-double, with 15 points, and 11 rebounds.

James, the 2012-2013 NBA Most Valuable Player, who averaged 26.8 points-per-game during the regular season, has been held under 20 points in each of the first three games of the series.

Game four is scheduled for Thursday night, in San Antonio, at 8 pm (cdt), with game five, also in the Alamo City, slated for Sunday night.

If necessary, games six, and seven, would be held in Miami, Florida.

View the game box score.

 

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