The Miami Heat sought to keep their three-game winning streak alive in the first of four Western Conference road games, starting with the San Antonio Spurs. Meanwhile, they were on a mission to remain undefeated and go 5-0 to begin the season, which hadn’t been done in franchise history.

It would be a great challenge to scheme against young prodigy Victor Wembanyama defensively. He’s off to a phenomenal start this season, averaging 31 points, 13.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and 4.8 blocks while shooting 60.3 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from three-point range.

However, Erik Spoelstra and the Heat do not back down to difficult tasks. They would remain without Norman Powell, who was sidelined in Tuesday night’s game against the Charlotte Hornets due to a right groin strain.

Nikola Jovic was originally listed as questionable to begin the game, but was later upgraded to probable, then available for last night’s game.

The Heat were also without Tyler Herro (ankle) and Kasparas Jakucionas (groin), but traveled with the team. Terry Rozier, of course, remains away.

As for the Spurs, they remained without All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox, who has yet to make his season debut, due to a right hamstring strain. Also, Luke Kornet (left ankle sprain), Kelly Olynyk (left heel surgery), Jeremy Sochan (left wrist sprain), and Lindy Waters III (Bilateral eye procedure) were all out.

The starting lineups:

Heat: Davion Mitchell-Pelle Larsson-Andrew Wiggins-Bam Adeabyo-Kel’el Ware

Spurs: Stephon Castle-Devin Vassell-Julian Champagnie-Harrison Barnes-Victor Wembanyama

Spoelstra stuck with this unit for a second consecutive game, with Larsson coming off a career-high performance against the Hornets, 17 points.

It was time for tip-off and the Spurs got the action started with a Devin Vassell right corner three-pointer. However, the Heat punched back, especially Bam Adebayo, with a couple of left corner three-pointers made.

There were tons of back-and-forths to begin the first quarter, until a questionable call came from the officials. As Stephon Castle was coming off a crossover on Davion Mitchell, it appeared that he stuck his right arm out and shoved him, but didn’t fully extend it.

The ruling on the floor was a defensive foul, count the basket, plus a foul. Spoelstra challenged the call, but it was ruled unsuccessful. Castle then converted on the three-point play.

It was a defensive ball the rest of the first quarter, with the game remaining tight. It ended with a score of 33-31, in favor of the Spurs.

The entire second quarter was filled with defensive intensity. The Spurs ended the second quarter on a mini 10-2 run; however, that lone Heat field goal came from an Adebayo dunk over Wembanyama. It’s not often a 6’9 player dunks over a 7’4 freakish athlete.

The score was 59-58 heading into halftime, with the Spurs still in front.

The biggest discrepancy was free throws. The Heat only had six in the first half compared to the Spurs’ 15.

The third quarter didn’t go so well for the Heat to begin the second half. After an Andrew Wiggins layup at the 11:40 minute mark, the team went nearly three minutes before their next made field goal. Meanwhile, the Spurs scored 10 unanswered points.

The game was still tight, but it was clear the Spurs were gaining momentum. They ended the third on a strong note with a score of 87-72.

However, the Heat is never a team that backs down from a fight. They sparked a 17-1 run to begin the fourth quarter, regaining ground. Then, the Spurs shortly responded with a 16-4 run to seal the victory, improving their record to 5-0 to begin the season for the first time in franchise history.

The final score was 107-104.

The biggest takeaways:

Heat; No running allowed:

Before last night’s game, the Heat ranked at the top in multiple offensive categories, which is unreal compared to recent years. They’ve been playing faster and scoring easier buckets at a high efficiency.

However, the Spurs managed to slow them down. The Heat finished with just nine fastbreak points and a pace of 99.06. It was difficult to score while running up and down the court when a freakishly long seven-footer was creeping up.

Wembanyama’s presence leaves opposing players second-guessing.

Spurs; What can Wemby do for you? (Everything):

Wembanyama continues to have a dominant season, potentially carving an MVP case. Last night, he finished with 27 points, 18 rebounds, six assists, a steal, five blocks, and shot 43.5 percent from the field in 40 minutes of action.

The 21-year-old prospect has now recorded at least three blocks in four of the first five games of the season.

Wembanyama is taking a massive leap and could end up having a historic year.

Heat; Underwhelming performances:

One of the main contributions to the Heat’s early success has been the bench unit. Before last night, they had the highest-scoring bench in the league. However, they didn’t live up to standards against the Spurs.

Jovic finished with a rebound and an assist in 10 minutes of action, recording zero points.

Jaime Jaquez Jr., who’s had a great start to his third year in the league, finished with six points, eight rebounds, and six assists in 34 minutes. He also shot two for eight from the field, 25 percent.

Simone Fontecchio was the only one to pick up the slack, finishing with 18 points, along with five three-pointers made, three rebounds, and two assists in 28 minutes.

Even the starting unit had a few bad apples.

Kel’el Ware also went scoreless, finishing with only seven rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block in 21 minutes.

Larsson finished with five points, three rebounds, and three assists in 26 minutes.

Wiggins and Adebayo combined for 55 points, both playing over 30 minutes.

Heat; The next game:

The Heat will have a chance to bounce back on Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers, who will be without both superstars in LeBron James and Luka Doncic. However, Austin Reaves has found no issues in carrying the extra workload offensively.

If the Heat win out the next three games of the West Coast road trip, then that’s a success.