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Spurs shoot for 22nd straight home win; face star-studded Heat

Mar 4, 2011 - 4:08 PM (Sports Network) - The San Antonio Spurs have been a model of success since the turn of the century and beyond, having registered four NBA titles and 12 straight 50-win seasons.

It seems the NBA-best Spurs are headed towards another Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy and will shoot for their 22nd consecutive win in the Alamo City tonight versus the star-studded Miami Heat in the opener of a four-game residency from the AT&T Center.

The Spurs are 50-11, which is the best record through the first 61 games in franchise history, and posted a 109-99 win at Cleveland on Wednesday behind George Hill's 22 points and DeJuan Blair's 14 and 10 rebounds. Tim Duncan added 16 points, six assists and three blocks for San Antonio, which has won four of five games and rebounded from a loss at Memphis.

"[Hill] came out tonight a little more comfortable and a little more aggressive," Duncan said. "He played a lot better and we are going to need him with Tony (Parker) out."

Parker is expected to miss 2-4 weeks with a strained left calf. The Southwest Division-leading Spurs matched the Los Angeles Lakers for most 50-win seasons in a row and will also host the Lakers, Pistons and Kings on the upcoming homestand. The 21-game winning streak as the host is the longest single season home winning streak in franchise history, breaking the previous record of 20 games set during the 1989-90 campaign. San Antonio's longest home winning streak is 22, spanning from March 27, 1999 - December 11, 1999.

San Antonio is 28-2 in the Alamo City this season and went a team-best 38-3 at home in 2004-05. The 1985-86 Celtics are the only team in NBA history to record a 40-1 mark at home for the season, while six clubs have ended with a 39-2 ledger, most recently the Cavs in 2008-09.

Miami will drag itself into the AT&T Center this evening after blowing a 24- point lead to the Southeast Division-rival Orlando Magic last night. For a second straight game LeBron James had a chance to be the hero but came up short for the Heat, who were outscored 40-9 at one point in the second half and led by a 63-45 score at halftime.

James had 29 points and Dwyane Wade finished with 28 points in defeat. Miami was coming off Sunday's 91-86 setback to New York, in which it led by as many as 15 points, and recorded a 1-2 on the three-game homestand. James' missed on two chances at the end in that one. The Southeast Division-leading Heat lost for just fourth time in 16 tries and sit two games back of Boston for the East's top seed.

Chris Bosh had 13 points in a losing effort and also had a chance to tie the game on a three-pointer in the closing seconds.

"They probably have been scouting us a lot, seeing that we like to throw the ball to the corner to get a look," James said. "[Bosh] broke open and got a good look."

After Friday's game in San Antonio, the Heat, who are 21-11 as the guest, will return to south Florida for a six-game homestand versus the Bulls, Blazers, Lakers, Grizzlies, Spurs and Thunder. Wade hasn't had a chance to get his hands on the ball in crunch time lately and has shot 50 percent or better in six of his last seven outings.

Miami and San Antonio are meeting for the first time since the Spurs swept a home-and-home set a year ago. The Spurs have won three straight and 14 of the previous 17 matchups between the two clubs, while Miami has dropped 21 of 23 contests as the visitor in this series.