Miami Heat Team Report - December 6

(Basketball News) - The Miami Heat will try and get back on the winning track tonight when they host the defending champion San Antonio Spurs at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Miami enters tonight’s contest on a down note after falling to the Philadelphia 76ers, 93-90, on Friday. Lamar Odom had 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Eddie Jones contributed 20 points, despite missing his first 10 shots. Rookie Dwyane Wade finished with 21 points for the Heat, who lost for the sixth time in eight games.

Miami, which had trailed by as many as 19 in the third quarter, pulled within two with six minutes to play on a Wade layup, which capped an 8-0 run and made it 82-80.

But Philadelphia answered with an Allen Iverson three-pointer, and was able to keep Miami at arm’s length until there was less than a minute to go. Brian Grant’s putback of a Jones miss pulled the Heat to within one at 91-90 with 39 seconds remaining.

However, Iverson followed with another big basket, and Miami’s final three possessions resulted in a missed layup by Odom, a turnover by Grant and a three-point miss by Odom as time expired.

The Heat, who will be playing the second leg of a four-game homestand tonight, are 4-3 in South Florida this season and have own four of their last five in their arena.

San Antonio defeated the Heat earlier in the year and has won four straight in the series. The Spurs, though, have lost five of their last seven in Miami.