Miami Heat (34-36) vs. Spurs (42-29)
When, where: Wednesday 7:30 p.m., AT&T Center
Last season: Spurs won series 2-0
All-time series record: Spurs lead 43-19
Season series: Heat lead 1-0
Last meeting: Heat 95, Spurs 88, Nov. 7, Miami
Heat's last game: Beat Thunder 116-107, Monday, Oklahoma City
Spurs' last game: Beat Golden State Warriors 11-105, Monday, AT&T Center
Heat's' last 10 games/streak: 7-3, won two
Spurs' last 10 games/streak: 9-1, won nine
Heat's injury/inactive report: Guard Charles Cooke (G League assignment), out; forward Yante Maten (G League assignment), probable; forward/guard Rodney McGruder (left knee soreness), out; forward Duncan Robinson (G League assignment), probable; forward Justise Winslow (right thigh bruise), out.
Spurs' injury/inactive report: Forward Drew Eubanks (G League assignment), out; Ben Moore (G League assignment), out; point guard Dejounte Murray (torn right anterior cruciate ligament), out.
Notable: The Spurs clinched their 22nd consecutive winning season with an 111-105 victory over defending league champion Golden State on Monday night at the AT&T Center. The Silver and Black own the league record for consecutive winning seasons . . . The Spurs have won nine straight games, the longest active streak in the NBA this season . . . San Antonio also has won 11 in a row at the AT&T Center, where it has gone 29-7 this season . . . The Silver and Black currently own the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference and trail No. 4 Portland (43-27) by 1.5 games . . . The Spurs would play Portland in the first round of the playoffs if the postseason started Wednesday . . . San Antonio and Oklahoma City have identical records, but the Silver and Black own the tiebreaker against the Thunder . . Miami is No. 8 in the Eastern Conference, leading No. 9 Orlando by 1.5 games for the East's last playoff spot . . . Wednesday's game caps a four-game homestand for the Spurs, who play at Houston on Friday in the first of three straight on the road. They are at Boston on Sunday and at Charlotte next Tuesday . . . San Antonio has 11 games left in the regular season, five at home and six on the road . . . The Spurs are the only NBA team with an all-time winning record against every team in the league. They lead the series against Miami 43-19 and have won five in a row against the Heat at the AT&T Center. The Heat beat San Antonio 95-88 in their first meeting of the season on Nov. 7 in Miami.
GAME PREVIEW
SAN ANTONIO – The air will be thick with nostalgia Wednesday night at the AT&T Center, where veteran Miami Heat All-Star guard Dwyane Wade will play the Spurs for the last time in his stellar career.
Wade, 37, is retiring at the end of this season, his 16th in the NBA. A 13-time All-Star, Wade won three NBA championships with the Heat in 2006, 2012 and 2013. Led by the trio of LeBron James, Wade and Chris Bosh, Miami beat the Spurs in a classic seven-game series in 2013. But the Silver and Black bounced back to dethrone the Heat the next season.
While not a Spurs rival on par with Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki, Wade nevertheless earned his chops as one of the best players of his generation.
“Well whenever you lose those guys, people who have been household names for so long . . . the good thing is we’ve got a lot of young players that keep matriculating and turning out to be great players and good people at the same time,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “We’ll be in good shape, but we sure do miss the guys that finally stop.”
Wade played his first 13 seasons in the NBA with Miami before he signed with Chicago in July 2016. He was waived after one season with the Bulls and signed a contract with Cleveland in September 2017, reuniting with former teammate LeBron James. The Cavs traded Wade to Miami in February 2018, and he re-signed with the Heat as a free agent last Sept. 18.
Wade has not started in any of the 60 games in which he’s played this season, but he's still managed to average 14.3 points and 25.6 minutes. He is also averaging 3.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
The Spurs, who end a four-game homestand Wednesday night, expressed respect for Wade and his game.
“He’s a Hall of Famer, for sure,” All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge said. “It’d be nice to get one more game on the court with him. Everyone is definitely looking forward to that. He’s a great ambassador for the game and we’re going to miss him, for sure.”
Veteran forward Rudy Gay echoed Aldridge’s comments about Wade.
“He means a lot,” Gay said when he was asked what Wade has meant to the NBA. “Somebody that I looked up to. Someone that is a champion. Someone that’s been consistent, someone that’s been a tough player for years and years.
"And somebody who’s fought through injuries, someone who’s come back from injuries. That’s something I can relate to, so I tip my hat to him. Had a great career.”
Veteran guard DeMar DeRozan, who leads the Spurs in scoring and assists, also chimed in on Wade.
“For the league’s he’s been one of the greats of the league,” Spurs veteran guard DeMar DeRozan said “To me, one of my all-time favorite players. He’s on my Mount Rushmore. To be able to compete against somebody in the playoffs seven times, he’s a hell of a player and (was a) better individual every time I came across him.”
The Spurs knocked off defending NBA champion Golden State 111-105 on Monday for their ninth straight win. They also clinched their 22nd consecutive winning season, extending their league record.
The Silver and Black have won 11 in a row at the AT&T Center, where they are 29-7 this season. San Antonio has 11 games left in the regular season – five at home and six on the road.
As usual, the Spurs said defense will be critical to whether they can maintain the torrid pace they’ve seen in the stretch run of the season.
"We are just figuring it out," Aldridge said. "Guys are playing better and we are trying to be better defensively. Our communication has been better. It's just winning time and everybody senses that, which is why everyone is trying to play better and figure it out."
