National Basketball Association
San Antonio 119, Miami 101
When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Where: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Officials: #11 Derrick Collins, #13 Monty McCutchen, #66 Haywoode Workman
Attendance: 19723

MIAMI -- The concerns about Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside's lack of maturity mounted Tuesday as he was ejected for the third time since the start of last season.

That's the most ejections of any player in the NBA during that span.

Whiteside's flagrant elbow led to an extremely rare seven-point possession by the San Antonio Spurs, who rolled to a 119-101 victory over Miami on Tuesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.

"We don't condone that type of play," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of the play that may also land Whiteside an NBA suspension.

San Antonio (44-8) was led by power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (28 points) and small forward Kawhi Leonard (23 points, nine rebounds). The Spurs have won 19 of their past 21 games.

Aldridge, the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week, deflected any praise headed his way.

"My teammates are finding me better," he said. "It's getting better every game. It's tough to beat us when we (him and Leonard) both play well."

The Spurs led 87-80 in the fourth quarter when guard Patty Mills hit a 3-pointer while being fouled by Heat guard Beno Udrih. Mills made his free throw.

While in the lane waiting for a potential rebound, Whiteside elbowed Spurs center Boban Marjanovic. Whiteside was ejected, and San Antonio got a free throw -- Marjanovic converted -- and the ball. Leonard completed the possession with a baseline jumper.

"I don't think so," Leonard said when asked if he had ever seen a seven-point possession. "But I didn't pay too much attention."

Whiteside, who finished with 14 points, six rebounds and two blocks in 25 minutes, is an unrestricted free agent after this season.

He leads the NBA in blocks (3.9) and is in the top five in rebounds and field-goal percentage, but incidents like what happened Tuesday lead many to think he will not be in Miami next season and will get his big contract elsewhere.

"We've been through this with him before," Spoelstra said regarding Tuesday's ejection. "It's a disappointing play. That's not a basketball play."

Beyond the news on Whiteside, there wasn't much to talk about with the Heat, who were badly outplayed after the first quarter. Miami was led by guard Dwyane Wade with 20 points and forward Chris Bosh (18 points).

Miami (29-24) has lost four straight games in its rivalry with San Antonio. Overall this season, Miami has won six of its past nine games and is off until a Feb. 19 game at the Atlanta Hawks.

As for San Antonio, this marked the start of the Spurs' annual "Rodeo Road Trip." This year, the Spurs will play eight straight road games over three weeks, traveling 6,514 miles while the city of San Antonio hosts a rodeo.

Miami led 24-20 after the first period, holding San Antonio to 25.9-percent shooting from the floor. San Antonio improved its shooting to 66.7 percent in the second quarter and took a 54-47 lead into the halftime break.

"We just got better," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of his team's play after the first quarter. "We didn't make the same mistakes."

The Spurs shot 60.9 percent in the third quarter and extended their lead to 85-75. Through three quarters, the Spurs led Miami 10-0 in offensive rebounds and 20-0 in second-chance points.

San Antonio shot 66.7 percent in the fourth quarter and outscored Miami by 22 points in the final three quarters. In the end, the Spurs had an 11-1 edge in offensive rebounds and a 22-3 advantage on second-chance points.

"The Spurs were terrific in the second half," Spoelstra said. "Right now, that is a different level of basketball from where we are, but that doesn't mean it can't change when we get back from the break."

NOTES: The Heat announced that they will retire the No. 32 -- formerly worn by center Shaquille O'Neal -- at the start of next season. Shaq, who helped Miami win the 2006 NBA title, is the third former Heat player to have his number retired, joining center Alonzo Mourning and guard Tim Hardaway. ... Heat backup SG Tyler Johnson, who had rotator cuff surgery on his left shoulder last week, is expected to be out until mid-April. The playoffs start April 16. Johnson averaged 8.7 points and shot 48.8 percent from the floor this season, including 38.6 percent on three-pointers. ... The Spurs were without PF Tim Duncan (knee soreness), G/F Kyle Anderson (stomach flu), F/C Matt Bonner (left calf strain) and SG Manu Ginobili (testicular surgery). ... Spurs SG Danny Green and Heat SG Gerald Green are second cousins.
Top Game Performances
 
San Antonio   Miami
LaMarcus Aldridge 28 Scoring Dwyane Wade 20
Tony Parker 5 Assists Goran Dragic 6
Kawhi Leonard 9 Rebounds Amar'e Stoudemire 8
LaMarcus Aldridge 8 Free Throws Made Chris Bosh 6
Danny Green 3 Steals Josh McRoberts 2
LaMarcus Aldridge 1 Blocks Amar'e Stoudemire 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
San Antonio 119 52.8 6-14 19-26 25 43 4 10 10
Miami 101 57.1 4-12 17-24 21 31 5 7 18
Upcoming Games
  • Miami will play their next game on the road against Atlanta. The Heat have a W/L % of .483 after a win and .625 after a loss.
  • San Antonio will play their next game on the road against Orlando. The Spurs have a W/L % of .818 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.