SAN ANTONIO — Hot-shooting Davis Bertans almost stole the show in his first game against the Spurs since he was traded to the Washington Wizards in July. But in the end, Bertans was upstaged by veteran forward DeMar DeRozan.
Driving the lane on the Spurs' final possession, DeRozan scored on a layup with 5.5 seconds left to lift the Silver and Black to a 124-122 victory Saturday night at the AT&T Center.
DeRozan scored 10 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, when he made 5 of 6 shots. Teammate LaMarcus Aldridge finished with a game-high 27 points and added nine rebounds, one less than point guard Dejounte Murray.
"I love the moments," DeRozan said, when asked about his fourth quarter. "I don't think about mistakes. I don't think about previous three-pointers or mistakes. It's a different type of game in the last five or six minutes. When the game is close, you have to think that way."
Derrick White sealed the San Antonio victory when he blocked Bradley Beal's driving layup on the Wizards' final possession. Beal fell to the floor after White blocked his shot, but there was no call.
"What we tried to get was Bradley Beal to attack, and that was a great attack," Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. "The way we are playing, that is how we are going to get those respect calls. The bottom line is he did not get the call, and that is basketball. You have to move on to the next game."
The Spurs (2-0) cap their three-game homestand Monday against the Portland Trail Blazers. Washington slipped to 1-2 after losing on the second night of a back-to-back.
Bertans had a stellar game against his former team, scoring 23 points and going 7 of 7 from the field, including 5 of 5 from the three-point line. His only miss came at the free-throw line, where he was 4 of 5.
"I'm not the player that cares about how many points I score as long as we win the game," Bertans said. "But that didn't happen, so it's a little disappointing. The way we battled and played on the back-to-back, I think we deserved the win.
"We had some mistakes here and there. We can't afford to have those, but I am proud of the team on how we battled the whole game. Something that stood out to me the most was how we would be down, and we would come back and play."
Bertans played three seasons with the Silver and Black before getting traded in July to make room for Boston Celtics free agent Marcus Morris Sr. But Morris signed with the New York Knicks after reneging on an oral agreement with the Silver and Black..
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich heaped praise on Bertans.
"I almost jumped out on the court," he said, when asked about Davis' performance. "He had a great game. He was wonderful. (He is a) super human being, a heck of a player. Actually happy for him. He's great, he's great."
Murray (19), Bryn Forbes (16) and Derrick White rounded out San Antonio's double-figure scoring. Aldridge made 10 of 17 shots, and went 2 for 3 from beyond the arc. Forbes was 4 of 9 from long distance.
Beal had a double-double for Washington, finishing 25 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Ish Smith (19), Rui Hachimura (16), Isaiah Thomas(16) and Thomas Bryant (10) also scored in double figures for the Wizards.
The Spurs shot 46.3 percent (50-108) from the field for the game. They were 35.7 percent (10-28) from the three-point line.
White hit a jumper right before the buzzer to give the Spurs a 92-90 lead after three quarters. San Antonio outscored Washington 32-30 in the third period.
Sparked by Hachimura, a rookie forward from Gonzaga, the Wizards ended the second quarter with a 20-10 run to overcome a nine-point lead and tie the game 60-60 at the half.
Hachimura scored 10 of his 12 first-half points in the second quarter. He had four of Washington's last five baskets of the half. Beal and Ish Smith led the Wizards with 13 points apiece in the first two quarters.
Aldridge (14) and Murray (13) led the Spurs' scoring in the first half. Murray, who hit 6 of 12 shots, added seven rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The Spurs, who had 21 turnovers in the first three quarters of their opener against the Knicks, had only five in the first half Saturday night.
The Silver and Black shot only 39.7 percent (25-63) in the first half. They hit 5 of 15 three-pointers (33.3 percent).
Washington shot 52.2 percent (24-46) in the first half and was 38.9 percent (7-18) from beyond the arc.