Spurs move to 4-0 vs. Heat, 117-100: Recap, highlights and more

The San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat went head-to-head on Wednesday night.

On Wednesday night, the San Antonio Spurs traveled to Miami, FL to face the Heat. It was the fourth game of the 2017-18 season, as the Spurs looked to achieve a 4-0 record. Would this be the case at the American Airlines Center?

LaMarcus Aldridge came out firing, again, for the fourth straight game. He had 13 first-quarter points, getting into a rhythm and giving the Spurs a great start. It was all about the aggression and activity, a delight to see from a player that didn’t display it in the past two seasons.

More of the same from Danny Green — the new Danny Green. He put the ball on the floor and found his way to the basket. It took nine years but it’s never too late to improve. Green has this down consistently, too.

.@DGreen_14 with the STRONG take to extend the @spurs lead #GoSpursGo

? Fox Sports Plus? https://t.co/Kl6F7Shllj pic.twitter.com/sYygIgJPWd

— FOX Sports Southwest (@FOXSportsSW) October 26, 2017

The Dejounte Murray hype train probably cooled down a notch or two after Wednesday’s game. He didn’t score and did provide help in other areas, but it was far from the standout performances he had in the first three games.

Without Joffrey Lauvergne, the Spurs resorted to more small-ball lineups. At one point, Rudy Gay was the center and had Kelly Olynyk on him. Any concerns were put aside, though, with Gay’s productive third quarter of 10 points.

Manu Ginobili’s third quarter may have ended the game early, however. He contributed two 3-pointers on a 13-2 run to put the Spurs ahead, 86-71, entering the fourth quarter. Oh, and he had maybe four or five “Turn Back the Clock” moments. None of this will get old.

"Oh. My. Goodness." pic.twitter.com/HwjBvWSb32

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 26, 2017

Manu gonna what?

MANU GONNA MANU. pic.twitter.com/h3bi8KVa4X

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 26, 2017

The Spurs extended the lead to 20, but sloppy play brought the Heat into the game around the mid-way point of the fourth quarter. A 3-pointer cut the lead to 98-87, tensing up the game for about two minutes. A big fade away jumper from Aldridge extended the lead and ended any momentum from Miami.

• Murray will be fine, don’t worry. He’s just 21-years-old and games like this will happen. 78 games remain.
• Another huge night from Aldridge, who took advantage of no Hassan Whiteside for the Heat. Can’t see him replicating this success when Kawhi Leonard returns, but the mentality must stay as Jeff Van Gundy noted on the ESPN broadcast.
• Ginobili may be 40-years-old but he sure doesn’t move like his age. Whatever he did in the offseason to stay in shape worked.
• Watching Gay play, it’s impossible to tell he’s coming off a somewhat recent Achilles rupture. He’s fitting in perfectly and provides the versatile, bench scorer the team didn’t have in the 2016-17 season.
• Kyle Anderson isn’t setting the world on fire but he’s putting up quality production. 12 points and 10 rebounds was his latest stat line.
• Pau Gasol continues to play early and receive rest late. He played just 19 minutes against the Heat, scoring 13 points and grabbing 9 rebounds. It’s a product of both sides using smaller lineups.

Next: Top 25 players in Spurs history

The Spurs will play the Orlando Magic on Friday, Oct. 27 at 7:00 p.m. ET.