Aldridge scores 31, Spurs are now 4-0

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich was asked at least a half-dozen times Wednesday about the status of injured starters Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker and when they might be returning.

His consistent answer: They’ll play when they’re ready.

With the way the Spurs have started, there’s no need to rush them.

LaMarcus Aldridge continued his hot start by scoring 31 points, Rudy Gay needed only eight shot attempts to score 22 off the bench and the Spurs stayed unbeaten by topping the Miami Heat 117-100.

“We really didn’t get a handle on our defence for basically the entire game,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “That’s a big credit to what they do and how they execute, how they have purpose and intention to every single possession.”

The win was No. 1,154 for Popovich, now one shy of matching Phil Jackson for sixthmost in NBA history. Danny Green scored 15, Manu Ginobili had 14, Pau Gasol scored 13 and Kyle Anderson finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs, who — even without Parker and Leonard — are off to a 4-0 start for the second consecutive season.

Popovich wasn’t exactly celebrating afterward.

“I thought it was mediocre,” Popovich said. “There were way too many mistakes . ... Our offence got us through.”

Tyler Johnson scored 23 points for Miami, while James Johnson finished with 21 and Goran Dragic added 20. Dragic’s 3-pointer midway through the third got Miami within 61-60, but the Spurs soon took control for good.

Gay — who had Miami on his wish-list of teams when he was a free agent this past summer — scored 15 points in a 32-13 run that San Antonio put together in the next 9 minutes. The Spurs made seven consecutive shots to end the third, scored on 12 of their final 14 possessions of the quarter and led 93-73 when Gay connected on a stepback jumper with 10 minutes left.