NBA: Anthony Davis lights up ex-team again, as Lakers top Pelicans

Anthony Davis scored 46 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 123-113 victory over the visiting New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.

Davis, who scored 41 points in the Lakers' win over the Pelicans in their initial meeting on Nov. 27, hit 15 of 21 shots and made all 13 of his free throws as the Lakers won their fourth consecutive game.

Danny Green, who made 6 of 10 3-pointers for the game, had 20 of his 25 points in the first half, and LeBron James finished with 17 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds for Los Angeles.

Lonzo Ball had 23 points and Brandon Ingram had 22 for the Pelicans, who had their four-game winning streak snapped.

E'Twaun Moore added 16 points, Derrick Favors had 15 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks, and JJ Redick contributed 14 points for New Orleans.

It was the first visit to Staples Center in a Pelicans' uniform for Ingram, Ball and Josh Hart since they were traded to New Orleans for Davis.

New Orleans battled back from double-digit leads in the first half before Los Angeles took control in the third quarter.

Davis sparked the burst by scoring 19 points in the third as the Lakers outscored the Pelicans 31-21 for a 105-83 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

New Orleans pulled within seven after a dunk by Ingram with 2:25 left but got no closer.

The Lakers led by as many as 18 in the first half before the Pelicans rallied.

They sliced the gap to 64-60 on a bucket by Moore with 1:50 remaining in the second quarter, but the Lakers finished the half on a 10-2 surge for a 74-62 advantage at the break.

Los Angeles shot 50 percent from the floor for the game to 47.1 percent for New Orleans.

The Lakers made 14 of 29 3-pointers (48.3 percent) compared to 11 of 37 (29.7 percent) for the Pelicans.

Lakers reserve guard Alex Caruso missed the game with right calf soreness.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Lakers complete home-and-home sweep of Thunder

Anthony Davis scored 33 points, including a 4-point play late in the fourth quarter, and LeBron James added 23 points and 14 assists as the visiting Los Angeles Lakers held off the Oklahoma City Thunder 130-127 on Friday.

It was the Lakers' second victory over the Thunder in a span of three days, as they earned a tightly contested 112-107 decision Tuesday at Los Angeles.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 17 points, and Danny Green added 14 as the Lakers won their sixth consecutive game and earned a 13th victory in their past 14 contests.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 24 points and Steven Adams added 22 for the Thunder, who lost its third consecutive game and fell for the fifth time in their past six games.

Chris Paul added 18 points and seven assists for Oklahoma City, which tied a season high in points.

James has delivered double-digit assists in each of his past seven games, and he leads the league with an average of 11.3 assists per game. Davis was also in the giving mood.

His assist total was two short of his career high, and he also had 11 rebounds. The Lakers had a 45-37 rebounding advantage.

Paul made a layup with 11 seconds remaining to get the Thunder to within 126-125 before Anthony made a pair of free throws to put the Lakers up by three with 8.1 seconds remaining.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored inside with 4.2 seconds to go before two more free throws from Davis gave the Lakers another three-point lead. James then stole the Thunder's inbound pass to end the game.

Lakers guard Rajon Rondo notched his 7,000th career assist in the first half, but he was ejected with 10:20 remaining when he earned his second technical for a flagrant-2 foul when he lifted his right let into the groin area of Thunder guard Dennis Schroder.

On a night short on defense, both teams took advantage. The Lakers shot 51.1 percent from the field and 54.8 percent from 3-point range. The Thunder shot 52.7 percent from the field.

Known for their defense, the Lakers entered holding their opponents to 42.7 percent on the season, sixth best in the NBA.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Raptors dominate third quarter, top Wizards

Pascal Siakam scored 19 of his career-best 44 points in the third quarter and grabbed 10 rebounds Wednesday night as the Toronto Raptors defeated the visiting Washington Wizards, 129-120.

The Raptors trailed by as many as 12 points in the third quarter, but scored 44 points in the quarter to take a 10-point lead entering the fourth.

OG Anunoby had 10 points in the third quarter and finished with a career-best 22 points for the Raptors, who were without Kawhi Leonard because of a sore left knee.

Kyle Lowry had 14 points and 13 assists, Serge Ibaka added 10 points and 13 rebounds, Norman Powell had 11 points and Danny Green 10 as Toronto entered the All-Star break with a six-game winning streak.

Jeremy Lin had eight points, five rebounds and five assists in his Raptors debut.

Bradley Beal led Washington with 28 points and 11 assists, Jeff Green added 23 points, Jabari Parker had 22 points and nine rebounds, Trevor Ariza scored 19, Thomas Bryant had 13 points and Bobby Portis 12.

The Wizards trimmed the Raptors' lead to two points on Parker's dunk and three throw with 7:50 left, but Toronto expanded the lead to eight with 3:43 left after a 9-3 run.

Toronto led 30-26 after the first quarter.

With 5:02 left in the first half, Green converted a free throw after making a 3-pointer and Washington led by two. Ariza made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Washington a 65-59 halftime lead.

Beal had 16 first-half points and Green added 15 for the Wizards, who shot 51.2 percent from the field in the half. Siakam had 14 for the Raptors, who shot 38.8 percent in the first half.

Ariza started the second half with a 3-pointer. The Wizards led by 12 on Bryant's running dunk with 8:48 left in the third quarter.

The Raptors regained the lead with a 15-0 run, capped by Lowry's 3-pointer and Lin's layup. Powell's free throw increased the lead to 12 at 101-91 with less than a minute left in the third quarter. Toronto led 103-93 entering the fourth quarter.

The Raptors also were without Patrick McCaw (shoulder). Fred VanVleet (left thumb ligament) will be out at least five weeks after surgery Wednesday.

The Wizards were without Tomas Satoransky (personal) for the second straight game.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Raptors edge Magic on Green's buzzer-beater

Danny Green hit a 6-foot jump shot at the buzzer to give the visiting Toronto Raptors a 93-91 victory over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night.

The winning shot off a pass from Kyle Lowry came after Evan Fournier tied the game for Orland on a dunk with 2.3 seconds to play.

Kawhi Leonard led Toronto with 18 points, Pascal Siakam had 15 points and nine rebounds, Serge Ibaka had 14 points and nine rebounds, and Green scored 13.

Fournier led Orlando with 27 points, Aaron Gordon had 16 points and nine rebounds, and Nikola Vucevic had 14 points and 17 rebounds.

The Magic, who trailed by as many as 18 points in the first half, had a two-point lead entering the fourth quarter.

Orlando opened the final period going 1-for-11 from the field, but Toronto led by only one with five minutes remaining.

Fournier's floating jumper with 3:25 left tied the game at 85.

The Raptors led by four, only to have Orlando tie it at 89. Ibaka's 17-footer gave Toronto the lead again with 43.5 seconds to play, but Fournier tied the game on a 3-footer.

The Raptors used a 14-4 run to take a 22-11 lead on Lowry's 3-pointer with 3:30 left in the first quarter. Lorenzo Brown hit a 3-pointer to complete the first-quarter scoring and give the Raptors a 29-17 lead.

The lead reached 18 with 6:43 left in the first half on Leonard's 18-foot jump shot.

The Magic answered with a 10-0 run capped by Vucevic's 21-footer to trim the lead to eight with 3:16 left. Green's 14-foot turnaround jumper gave Toronto a 47-37 halftime lead.

Fournier opened the second half with a 3-pointer, and when he made his fourth 3-pointer of the game with 7:38 to play in the third quarter, Toronto's lead was down to one.

The Magic took its first lead of the game, 61-59, on Gordon's 7-footer with 5:27 to play in the third.

Each team had a turn leading by three points before the third quarter ended with Orlando leading 75-73.

Delon Wright opened the fourth quarter with a driving layup to tie the game.

After Gordon put Orlando back into a two-point lead with 10:44 to play, neither team scored until Green's 3-pointer with 7:14 to play put Toronto ahead. Jonas Valanciunas' layup increased the margin to three.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Spurs beat Warriors, stay unbeaten at home

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and the San Antonio defense held Golden State to a season-low offensive output as the Spurs made a statement with an 87-79 victory over the Warriors on Saturday to remain unbeaten at home.

The game featured the best combined record among opponents this late in the season in league history.

San Antonio held Golden State scoreless over the final 2:33 while expanding a three-point lead to eight at the final horn. The Warriors missed their last seven shots.

The Spurs (59-10) have opened the season a perfect 35-0 at the AT&T Center and have also won a franchise-best 44 straight regular-season games at home since a loss to Cleveland in March of last season.

San Antonio's streak is tied for the second-longest in NBA history, tying Chicago's 44-game regular-season home run of 1995-96 and trailing only the continuing streak by Golden State (50 games). It's second all-time in NBA history for the longest home winning streaks to start a season (37, set by the Bulls in 1995-96).

Kawhi Leonard added 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Spurs while Boris Diaw scored 14 points and Danny Green hit for 10. The Spurs, who have won six straight games, are 21-3 since losing to the Warriors in Oakland on Jan. 25.

Golden State (62-7), which had its seven-game win streak snapped, was led by Klay Thompson's 15 points while Stephen Curry had 14 points on 4-of-18 shooting (1 of 12 on 3-pointers). Draymond Green added 11 points for the Warriors and Brandon Rush had 10.

It was Golden State's 33 consecutive regular-season loss in San Antonio, a skid that started Feb. 14, 1997 when Spurs' 39-year-old Tim Duncan was a rookie.

The Warriors' previous low for points this season was 89 against Cleveland on Christmas night.

The Spurs started with a smaller than normal lineup, inserting Diaw in place of Tim Duncan at center and the strategy worked, with Diaw scoring six of San Antonio's first eight points.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr was into the game early on and was whistled for a technical foul in the first quarter for arguing when Golden State's Marresse Speights was called for an offensive foul. Kerr had to be physically restrained by his assistant coaches.

Both teams were obviously a little tight because of the implication of the game and it showed in their shooting performance, with San Antonio shooting 35 percent to the Warriors' 33 percent in the first quarter. Golden State was 1 of 9 from 3-point range while the Spurs missed all three of their 3-point attempts. Reserve Shaun Livingston poured in a jumper from the wing with 0.1 seconds remaining to grant the Warriors an 18-17 lead after 12 minutes of play.

The second quarter belonged to the Spurs, who took the lead on a Patty Mills 3-pointer two minutes into the period and expanded it to 10 points, at 38-28, on a breakaway dunk by Leonard at the 3:46 mark after a missed layup by Curry.

San Antonio led by as much as 11 points until the Warriors reeled off the final five points of the half -- three of them on free throws by Curry -- and cut the Spurs' advantage to 43-37 at halftime.

The 37-point first half was a season-low for Golden State (previously 42 against Dallas in a 114-91 loss on Dec. 30).

Leonard and Aldridge had 12 points each for the Spurs at the half, while Curry and Brandon Rush scored seven apiece to lead Golden State.

Curry hit his first 3-pointer of the game on his eighth attempt with a 35-foot rainbow over Aldridge midway through the third quarter that brought the Warriors back to even at 55-55. But the Spurs were undaunted, scoring the next five points on a 3-pointer by Tony Parker and a pair of free throws by Aldridge.

Curry's two free throws with 59.6 second left in the quarter tied the game again at 65, setting the table for a furious final period.

The Spurs grabbed their first lead of the fourth quarter on an Aldridge hook at the 6:25 mark and added to the advantage on their next possession via a putback by Diaw. Green hit an off-balance 3-pointer to move the score to 78-74 and, after Rush answered with a 3 of his own, went straight to the hole for a finger-roll layup to push the San Antonio lead back to four points.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Warriors, Spurs remain perfect at home

LOS ANGELES -- The Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs needed dominant fourth quarters on Saturday to keep their impressive NBA home winning streaks alive.

Spurs guard Danny Green was an unlikely catalyst in San Antonio, where the Spurs trailed by two going into the final period but emerged with a 93-85 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Green had missed all eight of his shots before draining a go-ahead three-pointer with 7:19 left to play that ignited the Spurs' finishing burst.

"(Green's) a pro and we made it clear to him there's only two outcomes -- it goes in or it doesn't," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "He still gets his paycheck. His family still loves him, so screw it, let 'em fly -- and he did."

The Spurs improved to 32-0 at home this season and have won 41 in a row dating back to last season.

In Oakland, California, the Warriors stretched their NBA record home winning streak to 48 with their 30th home win of this season, 123-116 over the struggling Phoenix Suns.

But they, too, had to rally in the fourth, overcoming a nine-point deficit after three quarters with the aid of a 14-0 fourth-quarter scoring run.

Superstar sharp-shooter Stephen Curry, who missed most of the third quarter because of foul trouble, returned to score 15 points in the final frame.

Golden State trailed 108-105 before Curry launched the decisive run with a game-tying three-pointer with 5:36 remaining.

The Suns missed their next six shots as the Warriors got a dunk by reserve center Marreese Speights, a dunk by Harrison Barnes and another three-pointer from Curry that gave the Warriors a 115-108 lead with 3:31 to play.

Draymond Green stretched the lead to nine with a driving basket and Curry made two free-throws to cap the 14-0 run.

Curry scored a game-high 35 points, making seven of 16 three-point attempts and handing out six assists.

Speights added 25 points, Klay Thompson scored 20 and Green 19 for the Warriors, who were without NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Andre Iguodala because of a sprained left ankle.

Brandon Knight led the Suns with 30 points, but Phoenix endured their third straight defeat and fell to 17-49, next-to-last in the Western Conference ahead of the lowly Los Angeles Lakers.

The Spurs, meanwhile, were up against a tough Oklahoma City team lying third in the West and trying to close the gap on second-placed San Antonio.

Instead the Thunder lost their second straight, and their fourth of six on the road.

Kawhi Leonard scored 26 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 24 for the Spurs and the Thunder went the final 3:53 without a field goal and missed nine of their last 10 shots.

"San Antonio is the best defensive team in the league, and we generated a lot of good looks tonight," said Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, who led all scorers with 28 points.

"San Antonio hit some big shots in the fourth quarter -- especially Green's shot from the corner -- but we made them work for everything they got."

Nuggets rally past Wizards

In Denver the Nuggets' second-half rally included out-scoring Washington 41-17 in the fourth quarter en route to a 116-100 victory over the Wizards.

Nuggets reserves scored 75 points as Denver extended their winning streak to a season-best four games, dealing the Wizards' playoff hopes another blow.

Washington, who led 72-62 late in the third quarter, are now three and a half games behind Detroit for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

"This leaves us in a really bad position," said Washington's John Wall. "We just keep digging ourselves a bigger hole with 17 games left."

Hornets down Rockets

The Charlotte Hornets notched their seventh straight victory, routing the Houston Rockets 125-109.

Kemba Walker scored 26 points and Marvin Williams added 25 for the Hornets, who saw a 19-point first-half lead dwindle to two in the third quarter before they rebuilt the advantage with a 17-2 scoring run.

"We just get better as the game goes on," Walker said. "We just got locked in."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Green lets it fly, Spurs soar past Thunder

The NBA is a "shot-making" league but part of that equation is not being afraid to keep shooting the ball even when they aren't going in.

That's the position San Antonio Spurs guard Danny Green found himself in on Saturday against Oklahoma City with the game tied midway through the fourth quarter.

Green had missed all eight of his shots up to that point but hit on the one that counted the most, pouring in the go-ahead 3-pointer that opened the floodgates for the Spurs and pushed San Antonio to a come-from-behind 93-85 victory over the Thunder in a matchup between the teams with the second- and third-best records in the Western Conference.

Kawhi Leonard scored 26 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 24 for San Antonio, which trailed by two points after three quarters but dominated the final period as Oklahoma City went the final 3:53 without a field goal and missed nine of its last 10 shots.

The Spurs have posted a perfect 32-0 record at the AT&T Center this season and have won a franchise-best 41 straight regular-season games at home dating back to last season.

The streak ranks fourth on the all-time longest home winning streaks in NBA history, and third all-time in NBA history for the longest home winning streaks to start a season and first all-time in Western Conference history.

Tim Duncan added 11 points for the Spurs (56-10), who didn't get a field goal from their starting guards until Green's 3-pointer with 7:19 to play.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich credited Green, who had just five points and none until the fourth quarter, with never losing his confidence.

"(Green's) a pro and we made it clear to him there's only two outcomes -- it goes in or it doesn't," Popovich said. "He still gets his paycheck. His family still loves him, so screw it, let 'em fly -- and he did."

Oklahoma City (44-22) got a game-high 28 points and eight assists from Kevin Durant while Russell Westbrook scored 19 points but went five of 16 from the floor. The Thunder shot just 38 percent from the floor.

"San Antonio is the best defensive team in the league, and we generated a lot of good looks tonight," Durant said. "Our defense was there and we rebounded well. San Antonio hit some big shots in the fourth quarter - especially Green's shot from the corner - but we made them work for everything they got."

Reserve Enes Kanter had 11 points and 17 rebounds for the Thunder, who has lost two games in a row and four of its past six on the road. Steven Adams added 10 points for Oklahoma City.

The two teams jockeyed back and forth for an edge in the opening quarter with the Spurs building an 18-14 lead before six straight points from Westbrook pushed Oklahoma City ahead by two at the 3:40 mark.

San Antonio responded with a mini-run of its own on two layups and three free throws by Aldridge garnered the Spurs a 25-22 advantage at the end of the quarter.

Aldridge had 15 points in the period as all of San Antonio's points were scored by three of its starters - Aldridge, Duncan (six points) and Leonard (four points).

Westbrook paced the Thunder with eight points, including a five of six showing from the free-throw line.

The Spurs have dominated teams at home in the third quarter but Oklahoma City weathered that storm and more than held its own, as the Thunder expanded their lead to 64-57 with 3:36 to play in the quarter on Westbrook's driving finger roll.

San Antonio went more than seven minutes without a field goal but its defense kept it within reach.

Patty Mills hit a 3-pointer for the Spurs at the 1:54 mark that seemed to jump-start San Antonio. The Spurs scored seven of the final 11 points of the period and trailed just 68-66 going into the final quarter.

"We just stayed with it -- our guys stayed confident taking shots," Aldridge said. "We got good looks the whole game but they weren't going in. In the fourth quarter, things turned for us."

Three straight baskets by David West to start the fourth quarter balanced a dunk and a step-back jumper by Durant and tied the game at 74, setting the table for a furious finish.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Green shoots of recovery lifts Spurs over Heat

SAN ANTONIO - Some torrid fourth-quarter shooting led by Danny Green lifted the San Antonio Spurs to a come-from-behind 110-95 victory over the Miami Heat in the opening game of the NBA Finals on Thursday.

Green scored 11 of his 13 points in the final period as the Spurs hit 14-of-16 shots, including all six from beyond the arc, turning a seven-point deficit into a runaway victory.

In the final quarter, Green made all three of three-point attempts to key a 31-9 run to end of the game.

Tim Duncan, who led the Spurs with 21 points, said taking care of the ball made the difference down the stretch. San Antonio had 22 turnovers but was dazzling when it counted.

"We took care of the ball finally," he told reporters. "We had 20-some odd turnovers for 28 points. The last seven or eight minutes we only turned the ball over once or twice.

"Getting them out of the passing lanes, keeping them in front of us, making them score over us, and we found something that worked on the offensive end.

"We started moving the ball and Danny Green got hot and hit a couple of shots and really opened it up for us."

LeBron James paced the Heat with 25 points but played only five minutes in the final quarter due to leg cramps.

An electrical outage caused the air conditioning to fail at the AT&T Center, creating steamy conditions for both players and fans. James hit a lay-up with four minutes left to pull Miami within 94-92 but was forced to the bench with his leg issues.

"It sucks at this point in time in the season," said James. "After I made that layup we was down two and, you know, as well as they played we still had a chance.

"After I came out of the game, they kinda took off. And it was frustrating sitting out and not be able to help our team."

Tony Parker scored 19 points and Manu Ginobili added 16 for the Spurs, who host Miami in Game Two of the best-of-seven series on Sunday.

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said the hot conditions created an "unusual environment," adding that it was painful to see James hobbled.

"We're used to having the hotter arena at this time of year," he said. "But both teams had to deal with it. It's unfortunate that it was that way.

"It felt like a punch in the gut when you see your leader limping like that back to the bench, but at the same time we still had an opportunity to make plays going down the stretch.

"They made obviously the biggest plays in the last five minutes."

REST NEEDED

With James on the bench, the Spurs out-scored Miami 16-3 over the last four minutes.

"Obviously when LeBron went out for us in a two-point game is not ideal, but we got to get better shots on the offensive end," said Miami guard Dwyane Wade, who had 19 points.

"We didn't, we turned it over a few times. We didn't get good looks and you can't do that versus this team."

Manu Ginobili, who had 16 points for San Antonio, said it was hardly time to be overconfident, noting that the Spurs won the opener in last year's finals before falling in seven games.

"At this point, we are the same exact spot as last year," he said. "We are up 1-0 and they always come back. They always adjust well.

"They have great players, so we got to come back on Sunday and play even better."

James said he welcomes the rest until Sunday's game.

"I need it, I need it, I need it," he said. "We're going to start tonight, continue to get the fluids in me and get me ready for Sunday.

"Thankful for the fact that I can get on it tonight, and put myself in a position where I can be out there for my team for the long haul.

"Sitting on the sideline, if I'm not in foul trouble, is not good for us and not good for me. I look forward to Game Two and go from there." (Reporting by Steve Ginsburg; Editing by John O'Brien)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Spurs rout Thunder to take 2-0 series lead

The San Antonio Spurs put the Oklahoma City Thunder to the sword with a spectacular exhibition of shooting in the second half to tighten their grip on the Western Conference finals with a 112-77 win in Game Two on Wednesday.

With All-Star point guard Tony Parker scoring a team-high 22 points and Danny Green pouring in a dazzling array of seven three-pointers, the Spurs sizzled on their home court to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Veteran forward Tim Duncan contributed 14 points and 12 rebounds while Manu Ginobili and Boris Diaw tallied 11 points apiece off the bench as San Antonio had five players in double-figures.

The Spurs, aiming for a return to the NBA Finals, outshot their opponents by 50 percent to 39 from the field.

"In the second quarter, we moved the ball much better, got to our shooters," Duncan, a 14-time All-Star who has won four NBA championship titles with the Spurs, told reporters.

"Danny was obviously hot tonight and TP (Parker) was great just attacking, going straight by people."

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 15 points each but, for the second straight game, they sorely missed the shot-blocking skills of forward Serge Ibaka, who is out for the rest of the playoffs with a calf injury.

League MVP Durant and dynamic guard Westbrook, Oklahoma City's one-two knockout punch, were restricted to a combined 13-for-40 from the field, and Duncan was delighted.

"Work, work for everything," Duncan said of San Antonio's strategy against the usually high-scoring duo. "Keep them off the free throw line, make their shots as tough as possible.

"Those guys are great scorers, we know that, but we want to make them work for everything they get."

MORE PHYSICAL

The Thunder, adopting a more physical approach than in Monday's Game One which they lost 122-105, made a fast start and withstood a sizzling 12-2 run by the Spurs to lead 26-24 after the first quarter.

However, San Antonio then turned on the style to take control as Green poured in three three-pointers and Ginobili added one of his own from beyond the arc to put the home team 58-44 up at halftime.

Roared on by increasingly vocal fans, the Spurs pulled further ahead with a stunning display of shooting from the field, a driving layup by Kawhi Leonard giving them a 29-point advantage before they ended the third quarter leading 91-62.

There was no way back from there for Oklahoma City as the San Antonio bench players maintained control.

"I hope our locker doesn't feel good," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "You shouldn't feel good. We got our butts kicked, but we have a good opportunity to come back and win Game Three."

The series shifts to Oklahoma City where Game Three will be played on Sunday.

Two years ago, the Spurs took a commanding 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals before losing to the Thunder in six games, and that remains a bitter memory for Duncan and his team mates.

"We will remind everybody of that situation," said Duncan. "We go into Oklahoma for that first game with the focus that we will need to win two games there."

(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Ian Ransom/Patrick Johnston)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Spurs overcome Parker loss to beat Blazers

SAN ANTONIO -- Kawhi Leonard had 22 points and seven rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs advanced to the Western Conference final with a dominating 104-82 win over Portland on Wednesday.

Danny Green scored 22 points and Tim Duncan added 16 points with eight rebounds to help the Spurs win the series over the Trail Blazers four games to one and reach their third straight conference final.

Duncan said the Spurs are starting to come together at the right time. "We got to the point now where we understand how we need to play for a longer period of time," Duncan said.

The win in front of a crowd of 18,581 may have come at a cost as San Antonio's all-star guard Tony Parker left midway through the first quarter with tightness in his left hamstring and did not return.

Duncan said after the game that he doesn't think it is a serious injury.

"It was more a precaution than anything," Duncan said. "They just don't want to get him any more hurt. They will check it out tomorrow."

The Spurs won by an average of 21 points in their three home wins in the series and await the winner of the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Oklahoma City leads that matchup 3-2 with game six scheduled for Thursday in Los Angeles.

LaMarcus Aldridge paced Portland's attack with 21 points to go along with 10 rebounds and Damian Lillard tallied a 17-point, 10-assist double-double in the loss.

San Antonio had a chance to sweep on Monday, but Portland pulled out a 103-92 victory.

"We ran out of energy in our last game," said Duncan. "We had better focus this game and we used our home court to our advantage."

Blazers coach Terry Stotts said he told his charges not to hang their heads just because they ended the 2013-14 season with a loss.

"We had a special year," Stotts said. "Every one of our starters had career years.

"One thing about losing in the playoffs you end on a loss, but we got a taste of the playoffs. We got a taste of success and something we can build on for next season."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Spurs drub Lakers for 9th straight win

Guard Danny Green had 15 points, all from behind the three-point line, and the San Antonio Spurs won their ninth straight game with a 119-85 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Green, who was five of eight from three-point range, led a balanced scoring attack.

The Spurs spread the scoring around, with five bench players in double figures, including forward Matt Bonner with 13 points and guard Marco Belinelli with 12.

All 12 Spurs that played scored for San Antonio (49-16). The Lakers (22-44), with nine players in their rotation, were led by center Pau Gasol with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Clippers 96, Jazz 87
Forward Blake Griffin scored 20 points, point guard Chris Paul contributed 18 points and the Los Angeles Clippers rallied to beat the Utah Jazz 96-87 for their 10th straight win.

The Clippers (47-20), who trailed for most of the first three quarters, used a big third quarter to overcome a 13-point deficit and keep their winning streak intact.

Center Derrick Favors and point guard Trey Burke each scored 18 points for the Jazz (22-44) who lost its third straight and eighth in nine outings.

Paul scored nine points in the third quarter alone as the Clippers outscored the Jazz 34-21 in the period to overtake the lead.



Cavaliers 103, Warriors 94

The Cleveland Cavaliers used a 68-39 dominance in the middle two quarters to build a lead and held on down the stretch to surprise the Golden State Warriors 103-94.

Center Spencer Hawks had a 22-point, 13-rebound double-double as the Cavaliers (26-40), down 20-4 in the sixth minute of the game, moved to within 3 1/2 games of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Cavaliers' comeback began in the third minute of the second quarter after they had fallen behind 36-18.

The visitors had erased the deficit, and more, within the next four and a half minutes, blitzing the Warriors 23-2.

Point guard Stephen Curry poured in 27 points on his 26th birthday for the Warriors (41-25), who fell 2 1/2 games behind Portland in the battle for the No. 5 playoff position in the West.

Suns 87, Celtics 80

Alex Len came off the Phoenix bench because of injury and wound up scoring six key points to lead the Suns to an important 87-80 victory over the Boston Celtics.

Len, who did not play in the first three quarters, replaced Miles Plumlee with 8:53 left and, after scoring three points to help keep his team in the game, converted a three-point play to break an 80-80 tie with 54.1 seconds left.

The win ended a three-game losing streak for the Suns, who started play in ninth place in the Western Conference, two games out of the playoffs.

Wizards 105, Magic 101 (overtime)
John Wall had 21 points and 11 assists to lead a well-balanced attack for the Washington Wizards, who beat the Orlando Magic 105-101 in overtime.

Trevor Ariza had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Marcin Gortat had 19 points and 14 rebounds and Bradley Beal had 20 points for the Wizards, who snapped a two-game losing streak.

The Wizards (34-31) are on pace for their first playoff appearance since 2008.

The Magic (19-48) were led by reserve forward Tobias Harris, who had 21 points.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Spurs' Green sets Finals record for 3-pointers

MANILA, Philippines – San Antonio Spurs guard Danny Green has set a new record for most three-point field goals made in a Finals series with 25 three-pointers, breaking the record previously held by Ray Allen.


Allen made 22 three-pointers in the 2008 NBA Finals to help the Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.

Allen, now a member of the Miami Heat, could only watch as Green broke his record with a trifecta in the third quarter.

Green ended up making six of his 10 three-point field goals in Game 5, including a dagger triple with over a minute to go that gave the Spurs a 114-101 lead.

The Spurs went on to win Game 5, 114-104, and take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Finals. They have a chance to close out the series in Game 6 in Miami on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).

"Danny Green has been playing great. He's making shots," said Spurs guard Tony Parker after the game. "I can't believe he's still open at this moment of the series."

Green has shot the ball at a tremendous rate during the first five games of the Finals, according to statistics compiled by both ESPN.

ESPN Stats & Info said on Twitter that Green "is 18-of-24 on open 3s, and 7-of-14 on contested 3s," for a stunning 65.8% three-point field goal percentage.

When Allen set the previous record in 2008, he made 52% of his three-pointers.

Green finished with 24 points in Game 5 and has been averaging 18 points per game against Miami in the Finals, averaged only 10.5 points per game during the regular season.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com