The San Antonio Spurs, as of late, have been on a roll, having won seven of their last eight games prior to playing the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena Tuesday night. What the Spurs didn’t count on was nearly blowing a sizable lead – as much as 26 at one point – before things got under control.

But the tide turned for the better for the Spurs, courtesy of a big shot by Manu Ginobili. While Ginobili got his points, he connected on a key 3-pointer, which helped San Antonio maintain control and dispose of Miami 88-76.

The Spurs never trailed in this one and used a 26-6 run to take what seemed like complete control of the game. San Antonio made seven of its first 9 shots during the run, and by the time that George Hill made jumpers on consecutive possessions, the Spurs’ lead had ballooned to 46-20.

The Spurs were still ahead 69-44 after Tim Duncan’s 10th point of the third quarter with 2:24 left, when the Heat somehow put together a rally; back-to-back layups by Dwyane Wade started the rally, and his trey with 5.4 seconds remaining in the period trimmed San Antonio’s lead to 71-54 going into the fourth quarter.

The Wade 3-pointer started a Heat 14-0 run, helped by Udonis Haslem, getting three baskets within a 90-second stretch, as Miami got to within 71-65 with 8:23 left in the game. The game-changer came with 7:58 remaining when Ginobili drained a three-pointer and the Spurs would hold on for the victory.

Ginobili led the Spurs with 22 points, 5 rebounds, an assist and a steal while Hill added 16 with 5 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal; Richard Jefferson poured in 15 with 8 rebounds, 3 assists and a block while Duncan secured a double-double, scoring 12 with 11 rebounds.

Wade led all Heat scorers with 28 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and a block while Jermaine O’Neal chipped in 13 with 6 rebounds, an assist, a steal and 2 blocks.

San Antonio (40-25) plays again on Wednesday when they make the short trip to Orlando to take on the Magic while Miami (35-33) hosts the Orlando Magic Thursday night.