FINAL
Spurs 100, Heat 106
The Spurs got to within five points with seconds to go, but it was a bit too little and a bit too late as San Antonio fell in Miami, 106-100.
The Spurs also finished their road trip 2-2, including big wins against the Celtics and Raptors.
San Antonio put in a good effort, and took the lead at the end of the third period after trailing for most of the first half. But Miami roared back at the start of the final quarter, going on a 10-2 run to re-take the lead and not looking back.
It's become a regular occurrence lately, and it happened again Wednesday: DeMar DeRozan led the Spurs with 30 points. Patty Mills chipped in 21, with LaMarcus Aldridge and Derrich White contributing 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Up next, the Silver and Black return home after four games on the road to take on the Atlanta Hawks Friday night at the AT&T Center. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. CT.
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2:12 remains in the game, and San Antonio has shaved Miami's lead down to six points, with DeRozan leading the way. He's got seven of the Spurs' 16 points this quarter.
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With less than four minutes to go, Miami is up by 11 on San Antonio and fully in the driver's seat.
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More than three minutes have passed in the fourth quarter with neither team scoring a single point. That's good if you're the team in the lead...unfortunately, that team is the Heat.
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The Heat have come storming back with a vengeance to begin the final quarter of tonight's game; a 10-2 Miami run has them back in front by six points as San Antonio will have a final hurdle to overcome if it wants to defeat the Eastern Conference contender on the road.
Third Quarter
Spurs 77, Heat 75
A dramatic final minute of play in the third quarter say Miami briefly re-take the lead before a three-point play from Derrick White ensured San Antonio would be out in front to start the final period. After three, the good guys lead, 77-75.
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San Antonio didn't have the lead for long before Miami tied things up once again at 68-68. But the Spurs responded in kind, rattling off five straight from Derrick White and Patty Mills to up their lead to five with 2:59 remaining in the third quarter.
Mills has had a marvelous game off the bench; he and DeRozan have combined for 38 of the Spurs' 73 points.
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The Silver and Black have taken the lead!
After spending most of the first two-plus quarters playing from behind, LaMarcus Aldridge capped a 7-0 run to give the Spurs a 64-63 lead, and a layup off Rudy Gay's fingers quickly increased their point total to 66.
Miami quickly called a timeout to stall the visiting team's momentum; with less than five minutes to go, the Spurs lead by three points.
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The game remains a close one deep into the third period, with Miami still leading by just four points. DeMar DeRozan is continuing to pour it on; he's got 20 for the game already.
Second Quarter
Spurs 51, Heat 51
Miami held off San Antonio from taking the lead after the opening minutes of tonight's game, but the halftime score rightfully signals what's been a fairly even game of basketball so far.
DeRozan notched the final two points of the first half to bring the Spurs even with the Heat, 51-51, at halftime. The guard is off to another excellent start in tonight's game with 14 points; Patty Mills has chipped in 10 of his own.
As a team, San Antonio is shooting 47% from the field compared to a 43% mark for Miami. But the home team has sunk five more three-pointers, and also has the edge in rebounds and assists.
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San Antonio continues to stay right on Miami's tail on the scoreboard, with the Heat continuing to stave them off...or at least preventing them from taking the lead. With 3:25 to go in the first half, the home team leads, 44-40.
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The early minutes of the second quarter have it shaping up to be a big one for the Spurs; they've scored 13 points through 3:58 to cut Miami's seven-point lead at the end of the first quarter down to three. Patty Mills is leading the way; he scored eight straight points for San Antonio at one point, including two from downtown, and now has 10 points for the game.
Miami, meanwhile, is dominating thus far on the boards.
First Quarter
Spurs 17, Heat 24
At the end of the first dozen minutes, Miami leads, 24-17, after going on an 8-2 run to end the quarter. San Antonio didn't score over the final four minutes of the game, missing its last seven shots from the field as Miami clamped down on D.
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After facing an early five-point deficit, the Spurs have closed the gap on Miami and are now down by only two points to the Heat with 3:45 remaining in the opening period.
Both teams are shooting about 50% from the floor, with Miami just a few ticks higher. LaMarcus Aldridge, meanwhile, is continuing his hot three-point shooting from as of late; he's three points so far tonight.
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Miami is off to a hot start in Miami, leading San Antonio, 11-6, just over four minutes into tonight's game. Bryn Forbes is the only Spur contributes to his team so far; all six of the Spurs' points are his.
The Heat, meanwhile, have made half of their shots from the field so far.
Pregame
Winners of three of their last four games, including a pair of statement-making victories over the Bucks and Celtics, the Spurs on Wednesday night travel to Miami to finish off a four-game trip with a game against the Heat.
Both teams are 6-4 in their last 10 games as they meet up for the first time this season; last March, Miami defeated San Antonio 110-105 at the AT&T Center.
DeMar DeRozan, recently named the Western Conference Player of the Week, will be looking to keep his recent momentum going as he leads the Silver and Black into action on Wednesday. They'll be going up against a Miami team that's lost just once at home all season long.
Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT. Follow along here for live updates.