NBA: LeBron leads surging Lakers past sagging Spurs

LeBron James poured 33 points and dished out 14 assists to push the visiting Los Angeles Lakers to a 114-104 victory over the struggling San Antonio Spurs on Monday in the Alamo City to win their eighth straight game.

The Lakers led by just four points heading to the final quarter but opened the period with a 12-3 run that features a pair of 3-pointers from James and was capped by his assist to JaVale McGee for a dunk. San Antonio never got closer than nine points the rest of the way.

Anthony Davis added 19 points, 13 of them in the second half, and 12 rebounds, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 14, Rajon Rondo hit for 13 points (3-for-3 from beyond the arc), while Troy Daniels and Kyle Kuzma pumped in 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Lakers.

Los Angeles, whose only defeats this year have come to the crosstown-rival Clippers and Toronto, is off to its best start since the 2008-09 season. That was a championship season for the Lakers.

LaMarcus Aldridge paced the Spurs with 30 points, with DeMar DeRozan adding 24, Bryn Forbes scoring 13 and Derrick White hitting for 11 for San Antonio, which has lost nine of 10 games and four straight at home.

The Spurs led, 56-54, at the half as Aldridge, with 16 points, and DeRozan, with 12, paced San Antonio over the first two quarters. The Spurs outshot Los Angeles 53.3 percent to 45.8 percent in the first half.

James led the Lakers with 19 points in the first half, while Rondo poured in 10. Davis had just 4 points on 2-of-10 shooting from the floor.

The Spurs led, 77-76, with 2:42 to play in the third quarter before Los Angeles rattled off eight of the ensuing nine points and took an 86-82 advantage heading to the fourth quarter.

Los Angeles has already defeated the Spurs twice in the first quarter of the season, both times in San Antonio.

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NBA: Celtics rout Spurs despite Hayward's injury

Jaylen Brown scored 30 points, and Kemba Walker added 26 as the Boston Celtics overcame a first-half injury to Gordon Hayward to reach a season high in points in beating the Spurs, 135-115, Saturday night for a rare victory at San Antonio.

Jayson Tatum had 19 points, Marcus Smart had 16 and Robert Williams III chipped in 11 as the Celtics won their seventh straight game -- and first at San Antonio since 2011. Boston had lost 14 of its last 15 to the Spurs overall.

DeMar DeRozan scored 22, and Patty Mills added 20 for the Spurs, who lost for the third time in four games. LaMarcus Aldridge was held to three points, taking just four shots from the field in 26 minutes.

Hayward fractured his left hand when he ran into Aldridge while guarding Dejounte Murray with 1:34 left before halftime. Aldridge was assessed an offensive foul, and Hayward quickly exited to the locker room.

The Celtics announced the diagnosis early in the third following an X-ray, and Hayward was ruled out for the remainder of the game. He will see a specialist Monday to determine if surgery is necessary, according to ESPN.

Despite the injury, Boston was up by 18 at the half and increased increased the margin to 20 on a pair of Smart free throws 12 seconds into the third. San Antonio battled back within 14 before the Celtics restored the 20-point margin, 88-68, on a Brown floater with 6:20 remaining.

The Spurs inched within 12, ultimately entering the fourth trailing, 104-91. Boston went up by as much as 24 the rest of the way to cruise to victory.

The Spurs opened the game on a 7-0 run before the Celtics blew past them with a 19-3 stretch. Boston's lead in the first reached as high as 15 as the Celtics ended the quarter up 39-30, their largest-scoring opening period of the season.

San Antonio fell further behind in the second, trailing by as much as 19 when a Javonte Green layup put Boston up 70-51 with 25.3 seconds to go. Brown led all scorers with 20 points as the Celtics entered the half up 72-54.

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NBA: LeBron's triple-double leads surging Lakers past Spurs

LeBron James produced his second straight triple-double, and Anthony Davis scored 25 points and took 11 rebounds as the visiting Los Angeles Lakers defeated the San Antonio Spurs 103-96 on Sunday to win their fifth straight game.

James finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists. The Lakers went the entire 2018-19 season, James' first with the team, without winning five straight games.

Dejounte Murray single handedly kept the Spurs in the game, scoring 16 straight San Antonio points over a seven-and-a-half minute stretch of the fourth quarter. 

His layup with 4:10 to play -- the 13th and 14th of those 16 points -- tied the game at 90. But the Lakers responded with a 9-2 run over the ensuing two minutes to hold off the Spurs and claim the win.

Avery Bradley added 16 points for Los Angeles (5-1), while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Dwight Howard had 14 points each. Howard also grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.

Murray led the Spurs (4-2) with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Rudy Gay and Derrick White added 16 and 12 points, respectively, off the bench, with DeMar DeRozan scoring 14 points and Bryn Forbes hitting for 12 for San Antonio. 

The Spurs lost at home for the first time in four games this season.

Kyle Kuzma's 38-foot buzzer-beater allowed the Lakers to finish the second quarter with a 10-0 run and take a 56-43 lead at halftime. Davis paced Los Angeles with 15 points in the half, with James adding 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and Bradley hitting for 10 points.

Los Angeles outshot the Spurs 51.1 percent to 33.3 percent over the first 24 minutes. Gay led San Antonio with eight points before the break.

The Lakers expanded their lead to as many as 19 points after a Davis layup at the 8:36 mark of the third quarter before San Antonio found some mojo, clawing back to within 71-65 five minutes later.

Gay's 3-pointer jumper from near half court at the end of the third quarter left the Los Angeles lead at 77-72 heading into the final period.

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Spurs kick Grizzlies, earn 4th straight win

Derrick White scored 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the floor, and LaMarcus Aldridge added 18 points as the San Antonio Spurs beat the visiting Memphis Grizzlies 108-88 on Saturday to earn their fourth straight victory, their longest win streak of the season.

San Antonio led by 20 points at the half and by 88-66 after three quarters and survived a 14-0 run by Memphis early in the final period before cruising to its 13th win in the past 15 games.

Patty Mills added 15 for San Antonio, with DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl scoring 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Mike Conley led Memphis with 21 points while Jaren Jackson Jr. and Dillon Brooks added 15 each for the Grizzlies. Marc Gasol grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds while JaMychal Green pulled down 10 boards.

The loss, in the second game of a home-road back-to-back, was the fifth straight for Memphis and the 10th of its last 12. The swoon has dropped the Grizzlies to a season-worst 18-21.

Justin Holiday, who was acquired in a trade with Chicago on Thursday, played 21 minutes and scored two points on 1-of-7 shooting in his first game with the Grizzlies.

The Spurs survived a rough first quarter in which they committed seven turnovers and turned up the heat in the second period, outscoring Memphis to lead 64-44 at halftime.

Mills led the Spurs with 12 points off the bench in the first half while Aldridge and White added 11 points each for San Antonio, who outshot the Grizzlies 55 percent to 31.1 percent and had 15 assists on 22 made baskets over the first 24 minutes.

The Spurs hit the road for their next two games, Monday at the Detroit Pistons and Wednesday for a rematch with Memphis. The Grizzlies travel to New Orleans to face the Pelicans on Monday.

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DeRozan, Gay lead Spurs to victory over Jazz

DeMar DeRozan scored 26 points, and Rudy Gay added 23 points and a career-high-tying 15 rebounds, as the San Antonio Spurs pulled away late for a 110-97 victory over the visiting Utah Jazz on Sunday.

The win was the second straight for the Spurs and allowed them consecutive victories for the first time since winning four straight in an eight-day span Oct. 27-Nov. 3.

Back-to-back buckets by the Jazz's Donovan Mitchell to start the final period cut San Antonio's advantage to 82-76 and his jumper at the 9:33 mark made it a five-point game, but that's as close as Utah would get.

Two baskets by LaMarcus Aldridge keyed a 9-4 Spurs' run before a turnaround jumper by Gay staked San Antonio to a 101-91 lead with 4:53 to play.

The Jazz then missed their next four shots while Gay hit a basket and a free throw, and Derrick White hit a jumper to grant San Antonio a 106-99 advantage that was more than enough to carry it to the finish line.

Aldridge added 20 points for the Spurs, with Bryn Forbes scoring 15 points and Marco Belinelli hitting for 10 for San Antonio, which shot 52.8 percent from the floor.

Mitchell led the Jazz with 27 points, while Ricky Rubio scored 26 and Rudy Gobert added 12 for Utah, which had a two-game winning streak snapped.

San Antonio led by five at the end of the first quarter but took the game right at the Jazz in the second, reeling off the first seven points to assume a 30-18 advantage.

The Spurs led 54-36 at halftime as DeRozan scored 16 and Aldridge hit for 14 points. Thabo Sefolosha paced the Jazz with just nine points at intermission.

Mitchell hit his first basket of the game on the Jazz's opening trip of the third quarter and his 3-pointer with 7:32 to play in the period pulled Utah to within 12 points, at 67-55. When Rubio hit a spinning layup with 2:51 left in the third, the Jazz cut the lead to 10 points.

San Antonio returns to the floor for the third of a six-game homestand on Tuesday when it hosts Phoenix. The Jazz play the second game of a demanding road back-to-back on Monday in Oklahoma City.

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NBA: DeRozan, Spurs rally past Lakers

DeMar DeRozan recorded 36 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 133-120 comeback victory over the visiting Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.

LaMarcus Aldridge and Jakob Poeltl each had 14 points and 8 rebounds for the Spurs, who avenged a Wednesday loss to the Lakers. Patty Mills also scored 14 points for San Antonio, and Davis Bertans added 13.

Bryn Forbes and Marco Belinelli contributed 11 points apiece and Rudy Gay added 10 for San Antonio, which outscored Los Angeles 44-21 in the fourth quarter.

LeBron James had 35 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds, and Kyle Kuzma added 27 points and 8 rebounds for the Lakers, who had a 4-game winning streak halted. 

Lonzo Ball registered 13 points and 11 assists, JaVale McGee posted 12 points and 12 rebounds, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 12 points.

Los Angeles played without small forward Brandon Ingram, who sprained his left ankle in the Wednesday game.

Bertans knocked down four 3-pointers as the Spurs made 13 of 31 from 3-point range and shot 50.5 percent overall.

The Lakers shot 46 percent from the floor and made 11 of 36 from long range.

San Antonio trailed for the entire second and third quarters, falling behind by as much as 15 points, before making a late dash.

The Spurs used a 9-0 run -- capped by Bertans' 3-pointer with 4:48 left -- to take a 118-112 lead.

A short time later, DeRozan hit three consecutive shots as San Antonio took a 127-116 advantage with 2:10 remaining.

Another 3-pointer by Bertans pushed the lead to 131-118 with 1:34 left, and the Spurs closed it out.

Los Angeles led by 4 at halftime and expanded the edge to 87-80 on Kuzma's bank shot with 4:16 left in the third quarter.

The Spurs whittled their deficit to 91-87 on De Rozan's layup with 1:42 left before the Lakers concluded the period with an 8-2 run to take a 10-point lead into the final quarter.

Los Angeles increased its advantage to 101-89 on Michael Beasley's basket to open the fourth quarter. However, San Antonio answered with an 18-7 run and pulled within 108-107 on a layup by Patty Mills with 7:43 remaining.

Poeltl's 3-point play allowed the Spurs to tie the score at 112 with 6:45 remaining as the beginning of the 9-0 run.

James had 24 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds as Los Angeles held a 72-68 halftime advantage.

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Aldridge leads Spurs past short-handed Warriors

LaMarcus Aldridge poured in 24 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, and DeMar DeRozan added 20 points, including five in the final three minutes, as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the visiting Golden State Warriors 104-92 on Sunday.

San Antonio led just 91-90 after a 3-pointer by Klay Thompson with 3:38 to play before the Spurs forged a 6-0 run off a basket by DeRozan, a baseline jumper from Aldridge -- who followed with a huge blocked shot on the other end -- and two free throws from DeRozan that all but finished off the defending NBA champs.

Rudy Gay added 19 points, 15 of them in the first half, for the Spurs, who snapped a three-game losing streak and won for just the second time in seven outings.

Marco Belinelli and Bryn Forbes scored 12 and 10 points, respectively, for San Antonio.

Kevin Durant led all scorers with 26 points while Thompson added 25 and Quinn Cook tallied 16 for Golden State.

Durant also grabbed 10 rebounds, as did teammate Jonas Jerebko. The loss was the third straight, all in Texas, for Golden State, who were without Stephen Curry (groin) and Draymond Green (toe).

San Antonio jumped in front in the early going and led 33-27 after the end of the first 12 minutes as Gay reeled off 12 points in the quarter.

The Warriors surged back in the midst of the second quarter and led briefly, 38-37, after layup by Thompson at the 7:30 mark and again at 46-45 on a pair of free throws by Andre Iguodala about four minutes later.

San Antonio then reeled off 11 of the period's final 13 points to garner a 56-48 advantage at intermission.

San Antonio built its lead to 74-56 on Aldridge's jumper with 4:46 to play in the third quarter before Durant and Cook scored seven points each during a 14-5 run that brought the Warriors to within 79-70 heading into the final period.

The Spurs have a quick turnaround, playing the second game of a home-road back-to-back Monday at New Orleans.

Golden State heads back to the Bay Area for the opener of a four-game homestand Wednesday vs. Oklahoma City.

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Spurs scoot past Suns

Manu Ginobili scored a season-high 21 points and Kawhi Leonard also hit for 21 as the Spurs blew past Phoenix 103-89 on Friday at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, defeating the Suns for the third time in three meetings this season.

A 17-8 Spurs run over the first six minutes of the fourth quarter, expanded an eight-point lead to 97-78 and turned a game that had been very competitive through 36 minutes into a runaway.

Bryn Forbes added 16 points for San Antonio (27-13), while Pau Gasol hit for 15 and Davis Bertans poured in 12.

Devin Booker paced the Suns (15-26) with 21 points. Marquese Chriss added 12 points, Josh Jackson scored 11, and Alex Len and Troy Daniels tallied 10 points each for Phoenix. Tyson Chandler led all players with 12 rebounds.

San Antonio led 49-42 after a first half that featured four ties and eight lead changes. The Spurs held as much as a nine-point advantage, garnered on a floater by Forbes at the 2:10 mark of the second quarter.

Leonard and Forbes each had 14 points at halftime to lead the scoring, while Booker led the Suns with 12 first-half points.

Things heated up in the final minutes of the third quarter as Phoenix used strong inside play, offensive rebounding and two baskets by Len to claw to within 72-69 with 1:24 to play in the period. Ginobili responded with back-to-back 3-pointers to create a bit of a cushion, and, after a 35-foot 3-pointer by Booker, added another from long distance to stake San Antonio to an 80-72 lead heading into the fourth.

San Antonio shot 47.1 percent from the field and sank 11 of 30 3-point tries. Phoenix made 42.2 percent of its field goal attempts and was 7 of 30 from the 3-point range.

Spurs team officials announced about an hour and a half prior to tipoff that forward LaMarcus Aldridge would be held out of the game for rest. Aldridge led San Antonio in scoring in 30 of the 38 games he has played this season.

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NBA: Curry, Durant shine as Warriors sweep into NBA Finals

Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant led the way as the Golden State Warriors sealed a clean sweep of the San Antonio Spurs to reach their third consecutive NBA Finals berth on Monday.

Curry scored 36 points and Durant weighed in with 29 as the Warriors powered to a 129-115 win to complete a 4-0 victory in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals series.

It was the third consecutive series sweep of the 2017 postseason for the Warriors, who are now 12-0 in the playoffs heading into the finals.

Durant, who attracted controversy after his blockbuster move from Oklahoma City Thunder last year to the Warriors, was delighted to be back in the NBA Finals once again.

The 28-year-old forward, who also pulled down 12 rebounds and contributed four assists, admitted he and Curry had rediscovered their understanding following the mid-season injury that sidelined him for around 20 games.

"Our chemistry is getting better and better and we're going to need it even more whoever we play in the finals," Durant told an interviewer.

"It's great to be one of the last two teams standing -- we'll see what happens," he said.

Curry meanwhile admitted he was relishing his partnership with Durant.

"It makes the game fun," Durant said. "The way we play the game and move the ball. Watching him do what he does. It's a fun way to play and we want to keep that up. I'm having fun, enjoying what I do.

"Things are flowing. It's a part of our identity to get that mojo going. I think we're prepared for pretty much anything. We're going to be confident and ready to go."

Spurs fans meanwhile bade what looked like a farewell to 39-year-old Argentinian legend Manu Ginobili, who was given a rousing ovation as he left the court.

"He's somebody I grew up watching," Durant said. "An amazing competitor. I got nothing but love and respect for him."

The depleted Spurs, missing the injured Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker, were always chasing the game as the powerful Warriors offense dominated almost from first to last.

The Warriors win keeps them on course for an unprecedented third consecutive NBA Finals meeting with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who lead their Eastern Conference finals series against Boston 2-1.

The Spurs were always struggling after an early points blitz from the Warriors that saw the visitors power into a 31-19 at the end to silence the AT&T Center crowd in Texas.

The writing was on the wall from the moment the Warriors reeled off 13 unanswered points to grab a 21-7, giving the contest an ominously familiar pattern.

Thereafter the Warriors comfortably kept the Spurs at arm's length, with their multifaceted offense proving too much for San Antonio.

The Warriors maintained a 14-point cushion at half-time to lead 65-51 and opened the second half with a 25-foot three-pointer from Thompson to make it 68-51.

They remained 96-78 ahead at the end of the third quarter and there was only going to be one winner from there, with the Warriors keeping the score ticking over to the buzzer.

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Warriors seize 3-0 lead over Spurs, one win away from Finals

LOS ANGELES -- Kevin Durant scored 19 of his 33 points in the third quarter Saturday as the Golden State Warriors took a stranglehold lead in the NBA Western Conference finals with a 120-108 blowout of San Antonio.

"I love where my game is at," Durant said. "I work hard every day I know what I can do in this league. I just try to put my head down and go."

The Warriors now lead the Spurs 3-0 in the best-of-seven series with game four set for Monday in San Antonio.

The victory appears to put the Warriors on a collision course to meet the mighty Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA finals.

No NBA team has ever come back to win a series after losing the first three games.

The Cavaliers are up 2-0 in their NBA semi-final series and have an impressive 247-192 scoring advantage against the Boston Celtics, who lost star player Isaiah Thomas to a season-ending injury on Saturday.

Stephen Curry tallied 21 points for the Warriors, who are now a perfect 11-0 in the post-season to match the best start in NBA playoff history. They have won 26 of their past 27 games.

Curry expects to see a different Spurs team on Monday night.

"Game four is going to be even tougher," he said. "It is a chance to close it out and they are going to come out swinging."

The host Spurs trailed by nine points at the half in game three and came within 69-65 two minutes into the third quarter before Golden State seized command with another incredible scoring performance.

It was the Spurs' chance to claw their way back into the series, but by the middle of the fourth quarter at AT&T Center arena, they appeared spent.

"They did a great job and competed really well," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of Golden State. "Every time you look up, you are playing against four all stars. We turned it over too much and we have got to make more shots."

San Antonio players began settling for shots early in possessions and missed the majority of them as the Warriors compiled an 18-point lead in front of a displeased San Antonio crowd of 18,700.

"Fans want to see a buzzer beater every game," Durant said. "It is not like that sometimes. If you don't like it, don't watch it."

The Spurs' hopes were severely damaged earlier Saturday when the team announced that star forward Kawhi Leonard would not play in game three because of a sprained left ankle.

Leonard originally injured it in game five of the second round against Houston and reinjured it in the series opener against the Warriors.

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NBA: Spurs rout Rockets to tie series

The San Antonio Spurs bounced back from one of their worst playoff losses by beating the Houston Rockets, 121-96, in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinals series Wednesday night (Thursday in Manila).

Kawhi Leonard once again led the way for the Spurs with 34 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds as San Antonio tied the best-of-7 series at one game apiece.


Houston won Game 1, 126-99, last Monday, wherein they made 22 three-pointers. They were limited to only 11 triples in Game 2, with James Harden scoring only 13 points on 3-of-17 shooting.

However, the victory came at a price as the Spurs lost veteran point guard Tony Park to injury with 8:43 left in the final quarter. He had to be carried off the courts by his teammates after going down and grabbing his left knee.

Game 3 is on Friday (Saturday in Manila).

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Leonard, Mills power Spurs to 3-2 lead over Grizzlies

Kawhi Leonard and Patty Mills combined for 48 points to lead the San Antonio Spurs past the Memphis Grizzlies, 116-103, in Game 5 of their best-of-seven series in the first round of the Western Conference Finals.

After dropping the last two games on the road, the Spurs regained their bearings at home to take a 3-2 lead in the series and move to within one game of advancing to the Western Conference semifinals.

Mike Conley led Memphis with 26 points and six assists.

The winner of the series will face the Houston Rockets.

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Curry leads Warriors fightback in Spurs defeat

LOS ANGELES -- Stephen Curry scored 29 points as the Golden State Warriors fought back from a 22-point deficit to land a psychological blow against the San Antonio Spurs with a 110-98 road victory on Wednesday.

The Warriors -- who could ultimately end up facing San Antonio for a place in the NBA finals when the playoffs get under way -- looked to be in deep trouble as the Spurs raced into a 29-7 first quarter lead.

But Curry and Klay Thompson led a magnificent team effort to haul the Warriors back into contention in the second quarter, gradually chipping away at San Antonio's lead to close within three points at halftime.

The Warriors then turned on the style in the third quarter, piling on the pressure to open up an 84-77 lead heading into the final period.


From there the Warriors were always able to keep San Antonio at arm's length, and picked off the Spurs to claim an ultimately convincing win.

Curry's points haul included four three-pointers, a tally matched by offensive partner Klay Thompson who had 23 points.

Andre Iguodala (14) and David West (15) also posted double figure tallies for the Dubs, who improved to 61-14 to head the Western Conference comfortably from San Antonio, who are 57-17.

San Antonio's scoring was led by Kawhi Leonard with 19 points while Spanish star Pau Gasol had 18 points. LaMarcus Aldridge and Danny Green also made double figures.

Reigning NBA MVP Curry was satisfied with a victory that gives the Warriors a huge boost as the playoffs loom, with injured star Kevin Durant still to return to their ranks.

"We're on the right track," Curry said. "We don't win a championship in this game but we understand we're getting better as we get to the playoffs and that's really the only focus right now. We want to keep it up."

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich didn't mince his words about the quality of his team's opponents, describing the Warriors as the best team in the NBA.

"They played great, they all played great," Popovich said. "They just played better. Curry, Thompson -- they all made shots. That's why they're the best team in the league."

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Aldridge leads short-handed Spurs over Suns

LOS ANGELES -- With San Antonio's leading scorer Kawhi Leonard sidelined by illness, LaMarcus Aldridge stepped up with 27 points on Wednesday to lead the Spurs to a 119-98 NBA victory over the Phoenix Suns.

Leonard missed his first game of the season with a stomach bug.

"He just couldn't keep anything down today, so he stayed home," coach Gregg Popovich said.

In his absence, Aldridge hit 10 of his 12 shots from the floor, following up a 33-point performance in a win over Chicago on Sunday with another outstanding effort.

"When LaMarcus plays aggressive like that we are a better team -- he's in attack mode, and he's looking for his teammates and tonight Phoenix couldn't guard him," said veteran Spurs point guard Tony Parker, who matched his season high with 20 points.

Pau Gasol added 16 points and 10 rebounds and and David Lee came off the bench to score 12 points apiece for the Spurs, who beat the Suns by 15 points earlier this month but found themselves trailing, 64-58, at halftime.

The Suns got off to an explosive start, connecting on 68.8 percent from the floor in the first quarter but they still trailed, 30-27, after the period as nine turnovers led to 13 points for San Antonio.

A 9-2 scoring run in the second quarter saw the Suns take the lead, but the Spurs got the young Phoenix squad's measure in after the interval.

"We did a lot better in the second half," Parker said. "Our energy was better and we tried to create turnovers and play more physical on the defensive end."

The Suns, led by reserve guard TJ Warren's 23 points, coughed up 22 turnovers -- the most for a San Antonio opponent this year.

"We played a great first half -- we played aggressive on the ball and got some deflections on defense," Suns coach Earl Watson said. "Things reversed in the second half. We are a young group trying to establish a culture and that can't be done overnight.

"We have to be a defensive team all four quarters and keep our focus. Turnovers hurt us, but with a young team, turnovers are going to happen."

The Spurs out-scored Phoenix, 61-34, in the second half, their focus sharpening as the Suns' waned.

"The whole game for us was picking up the intensity in defensive pressure in the third and fourth quarters," Popovich said.

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Aldridge leads Spurs past Pelicans

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 22 points in 26 minutes of play and Manu Ginobili added a season-high 17 points off the bench as the San Antonio Spurs manhandled the New Orleans Pelicans 113-100 on Sunday at the AT&T Center, winning their fourth straight game.

Kawhi Leonard added 13 points for San Antonio (22-5) while Tony Parker and Jonathan Simmons had 12 points and Patty Mills scored 11 points for the Spurs, who have won 8 of 19. Pau Gasol pulled down a season-high 14 rebounds in 24 minutes of play.

After the game, the Spurs retired the No. 21 jersey of former power forward Tim Duncan in a typically understated ceremony.

Duncan's 19-year career, all with San Antonio, featured five championships and a 1,072-438 regular-season record. The Spurs' .710 winning percentage during Duncan's tenure was the best 19-year stretch in NBA history and was the best in all of the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB over that time.

Alexis Ajinca led the Pelicans (9-20) with 16 points while Buddy Hield added 14. Anthony Davis and Langston Galloway scored 12 points each and Tim Frazier had 11 for New Orleans.

The Spurs outrebounded New Orleans 49-37 and went to the free throw line 22 times (making 18) while the Pelicans were just 8 of 14 from the charity stripe.

Five points from Ginobili and a 3-pointer from Patty Mills in a 90-second span of the first quarter allowed the Spurs to turn a 19-18 deficit into a 26-19 lead at the 2:58 mark. New Orleans responded with a spurt of its own, tying the game at 26 before a Gasol jumper and a Leonard layup handed San Antonio a 30-26 advantage after 12 minutes.

The Pelicans owned a 44-42 lead at the 6:25 mark of the second quarter after a driving layup by Hield, until San Antonio forged a 9-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer by Danny Green, to sweep past New Orleans and assume a 51-42 advantage. The Spurs led 61-49 at the half.

Aldridge led all scorers with 16 points in the first half while Ginobili hit for 12 and Leonard added 11. Gasol had 12 rebounds in 18 minutes of play before halftime as the Spurs owned a 29-18 edge on the boards.

Davis and Ajinca led the Pelicans with 10 points each at intermission, but Davis picked up his third foul with 1:07 to play in the second quarter.

New Orleans got back to within 72-62 on a Hield jumper at the 6:39 mark of the third quarter, but then the Spurs kicked things into another gear again, reeling off an 11-2 run that was highlighted by another Ginobili 3-pointer.

Three free throws by Mills with 14.4 seconds to play in the quarter pushed the San Antonio lead to 21 points, 92-71, and allowed the Spurs to play mostly their reserves for the final quarter.

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Warriors beat Spurs for record-equalling 72nd victory

LOS ANGELES -- The Golden State Warriors notched their record-equalling 72nd victory of the NBA season on Sunday, beating the Spurs in San Antonio 92-86 in a Western Conference heavyweight clash.

The reigning NBA champion Warriors improved to 72-9, matching the league record for regular-season wins set by the 72-10 Chicago Bulls led by Michael Jordan in 1995-96.

The Warriors can break the record with a victory on Wednesday, when they conclude the regular-season against the Memphis Grizzlies at home in Oakland.

"We've got a great group of guys, that really sacrifice every single night," Warriors star Stephen Curry, who scored 37 points, said of what it took to reach the milestone.

"We're competitive, we're hungry. We care about each other. I think we try to play the right way."

The Warriors' hopes of matching or exceeding the Bulls' mark had dwindled with losses to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics this month.

Golden State eked out a 100-99 victory over the Grizzlies in Memphis on Saturday, but the clash with the Spurs, who were a perfect 39-0 at home this season going into the contest, was seen as a major hurdle.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr called it one of the team's best wins of the season, as his players coped with the second night of a back-to-back in hostile territory.

"It was a true team win," Kerr said. "Steph was just amazing and so was Draymond (Green). Particularly against the kind of defense that we saw, both guys were just brilliant."

With that said, Kerr noted that the victory "means nothing come playoff time".

San Antonio had won 48 straight regular-season games on their home floor dating back to last season, and the Warriors hadn't won a regular-season game there since 1997.

With both teams playing tough defense it was a close game, but Golden State turned the tide in the fourth quarter.

Forward Harrison Barnes had three key baskets as the Warriors took a six-point lead. Curry and Klay Thompson helped the Warriors build their advantage to 90-79 with 1:34 remaining.

The Spurs pulled within four points in the closing seconds, but wouldn't get any closer.

- Rockets stay in chase -

Fans in Houston were in full voice for visiting Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, who his hurtling toward his final NBA game.

But Rockets guard James Harden didn't have time for sentiment, scoring 40 points in a 130-110 victory over the Lakers that boosted Houston's slim playoff hopes.

Harden scored half his points in the fourth quarter and added 13 assists to help the Rockets withstand a 35-point outburst from Bryant, who will retire after the final game of his 20th season on Wednesday.

"The jump shot was falling, my legs felt good, and you have nights like this," Bryant said of a performance that turned back the clock.

Harden enjoyed matching up with an on-song Bryant one last time.

"He made some big shots, which he has been doing in his 20 years of playing," Harden said. "It was an exciting game. It was something I'll remember for the rest of my life."

The Rockets are in ninth place in the Western Conference, one game behind Utah for the eighth and final berth.

The Jazz helped their cause with a 100-84 victory over the Nuggets in Denver and are one game behind seventh-placed Dallas, whose playoff push was slowed by a 98-91 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

- Pacers punch playoff ticket -

The Indianapolis Pacers locked up the final Eastern Conference playoff berth with a 129-105 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

Myles Turner led the Pacers with 28 points and 10 rebounds. George Hill added 18 points, five rebounds and four assists as Indiana reached the playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Spurs spank Grizzlies to keep pace with Warriors

LOS ANGELES, United States - The shorthanded San Antonio Spurs fended off the pesky Memphis Grizzlies with a 110-94 win to tie the Chicago Bulls for best home start in NBA history on Friday night.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 32 points and 12 rebounds as the Spurs played just well enough to remain undefeated at home this season, stretching their win streak to 37-0 at the AT&T Center arena.

They are now tied with the 1995-96 Bulls for the longest home winning streak to start a season.

"I had good offensive rhythm tonight," Aldridge said. "The guys were looking for me out there."

San Antonio had a 98-92 lead and were struggling to put away the Grizzlies until Manu Ginobili hit a three-pointer with 3:22 left to give them a cushion.

They got two more baskets from beyond the arc by Kevin Martin and Ginobili on the next possession to ice the victory. Martin was starting his first game with the Spurs.

San Antonio "hit three threes in a row and that was it -- it was very, very frustrating," said Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger.

The Spurs improved to 61-11 overall. They have also won a franchise-best 46 straight regular-season games at home since a loss to Cleveland in March of last season.

San Antonio's streak is the second longest in history, trailing only the continuing 52-game streak by Golden State, who beat the visiting Dallas Mavericks 128-120 on Friday.

The depleted Spurs played without an injured Kawhi Leonard and Boris Diaw, Danny Green and Patty Mills, who were all held out for rest. With so many regulars out it enabled Martin and Kyle Anderson to start.

Memphis' injuries woes were even worse than the Spurs. Marc Gasol (right foot fracture), Mike Conley (left Achilles tendinitis), Zach Randolph (right ankle sprain) and Brandan Wright (right MCL sprain) all missed the contest.

Tony Parker scored 14 points for San Antonio, Martin and Ginobili added 13 points apiece and Tim Duncan had 12.

JaMychal Green's 20 points led six Memphis players in double figures. Lance Stephenson added 17 points and Matt Barnes scored 14.

The Spurs led 37-23 after the first quarter and 64-51 at halftime.

Warriors bottle up Mavs

The Warriors took advantage of a shorthanded Mavericks squad to ride another record-setting three-point-shooting performance to a win.

On a night when former Warrior and current Mavericks power forward David Lee was presented with his championship ring, Golden State set an NBA record for most three-pointers in a season by connecting on 21 of 45 attempts.

The 17th of the 21 came with 9:51 to go in the game and was Golden State's 934th of the season, allowing them to pass the previous record set by the Houston Rockets last season.

Klay Thompson dropped in nine three-pointers on a 40-point night and Stephen Curry drained five three-pointers which added up to almost half his 33 points.

The Warriors improved to 65-7 to remain four games ahead of the Spurs for top seeding in the Western Conference playoffs.

Timberwolves edge Wizards in OT

Karl-Anthony Towns had 27 points and 10 rebounds, and Gorgui Dieng sank the game-winning jumper with 30 seconds left in the second overtime as the Minnesota Timberwolves setback the Washington Wizards' playoff hopes with a 132-129 victory.

Zach LaVine had 25 points for the Timberwolves, who trailed late in regulation and both overtimes.

Trailing 129-124 with 1:55 left, Minnesota scored the final eight points.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Spurs, Warriors remain perfect at homeBasket | NBA

LOS ANGELES -- The San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors kept their perfect home records intact as the Western Conference teams moved closer the Chicago Bulls' all-time single season record for consecutive home wins with 11 games remaining.

The Warriors toppled Los Angeles 114-98 to sweep the season series with the Clippers while the Spurs dumped the Miami Heat 112-88 on Wednesday as Kawhi Leonard matched his career high with 32 points.

The Spurs improved to 36-0 at home to move within one of the 1995-96 Bulls NBA record of 37 wins and no losses from the start of the season.

The Warriors aren't far behind as they improved to 33-0 to move into a tie with the 1995-96 Orlando Magic for third place on the all time list.

Both the Spurs (60-11) and the Warriors (64-7) have 11 games left in the regular season as they each try to become the first team to finish the season without a loss at home.

"If we take care of home court the rest of the way it would be good," said Warriors star Stephen Curry on Wednesday night. "We don't want to limp into the playoffs. With the schedule we have, we got to take advantage of it."

Both teams are back at home on Friday with the Warriors facing Memphis and the Spurs hosting Dallas.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr also said earlier Wednesday that the club's quest to set the NBA single-season win record was a real lure.

"We're getting there," he said. "That's pretty enticing."

The Warriors swept the season series over the Clippers as Curry scored a game-high 33 points while Klay Thompson wasn’t far behind with 32. The teammates combined for 11 three-pointers.

Draymond Green notched his 11th double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds and Shaun Livingston came off the bench to score 11 points.

The victory allowed the Warriors to remain four games up on San Antonio in the battle for top seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

Leonard equaled his career high 32 points in 24 minutes of playing time before leaving the Spurs game against the Heat with a bruised quadriceps.

Leonard left the floor midway through the third quarter and headed to the San Antonio locker room with a towel over his face. He did not return, but he was not needed as the Spurs went on a 18-4 burst in the first five minutes after he left.

- Love lets loose in return -

Kevin Love returned to the lineup and finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 113-104.

LeBron James had 26 points, eight assists and six rebounds, and Kyrie Irving had 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Cavaliers, who have won four of their last five.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Bucks, who lost their third straight. Greg Monroe had 14 points.

Love missed one game with a cold that bothered him for about a week and broke out of a shooting funk that bothered him since the all-star break. He hit eight of 14 shots from the floor.

James spoke earlier telling the US media he would take less money to play on the same NBA team with his basketball friends -- Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul -- before his basketball career ends.

"I really hope that, before our career is over, we can all play together," James said. "At least one, maybe one or two seasons -- me, Melo, D-Wade, CP -- we can get a year in. I would actually take a pay cut to do that."

Elsewhere, the Boston Celtics ensured their first winning season in three years under Brad Stevens, by posting a 91-79 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

Despite the loss, Toronto clinched its third consecutive post-season berth thanks to a 115-107 loss by Chicago to the New York Knicks.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.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

Spurs depth on display in win vs. Clippers

The understood goal of any second unit in the NBA is to do all it can to hold its ground while its team's starters get time to rest. So when the reserves add to a lead or flip the flow of the game from one team to another, it's an unexpected bonus.

San Antonio's bench and defense were all the difference Tuesday as the Spurs' reserves helped turn a close game into a rout in the fourth quarter and walloped the Los Angeles Clippers 108-87 Tuesday night.

Kawhi Leonard poured in 20 points to lead five San Antonio players in double figures. But the Spurs (57-10) led by just a point heading to the final quarter before running away from Los Angeles in the first four minutes of the period and never looking back.

Reserve David West had all eight of his points in that fourth-quarter run, and reserve Patty Mills had seven in that stretch. The Spurs eventually expanded their lead to 99-79 and wound up winning by 21.

"They turned up the intensity and the pressure a little bit and put a 37-point fourth quarter on us," the Clippers' Chris Paul said. "There are a lot of things that happened over the course of the game for that separation to happen."

The victory was San Antonio's 33rd straight at home to open the season and extended the club's home-game regular-season win streak to a franchise-best 42 games, dating back to a loss to Cleveland last March. The Spurs' home streak the third-longest in NBA history, behind Chicago's 44-game regular-season run in 1995-96 and the continuing streak by Golden State (49 games).

LaMarcus Aldridge added 17 points for the Spurs, while Mills had 15. Manu Ginobili hit for 13 points, and Danny Green scored 12 on 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc.

"Our guys competed and we got a big-time spark off the bench," Aldridge said. "David (West) was huge and Patty (Mills) brought a lot of juice and energy for us. They definitely carried us down the stretch."

Chris Paul led the Clippers with 22 points and eight assists. DeAndre Jordan added 16 points and 14 rebounds for Los Angeles, and Jeff Green and J.J. Redick scored 15 and 14 points, respectively.

The San Antonio bench outscored the Clippers 51-20. The Spurs outrebounded Los Angeles 42-27 and had 25 assists to the Clippers' 15.

"It was one of those nights when out second unity just didn't have a lot," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "In the first half (our second unit) got great shots and missed them all -- I think they had three points in the first half. The same thing happened in the second half and then I thought they lost their spirit."

The Clippers (42-24) took things right to San Antonio in the opening minutes, starting the game with an alley-oop pass from Paul for a dunk by Jordan and building 10-6 lead. The Spurs grabbed the momentum and the lead on an Aldridge left-handed hook and boosted their advantage to 18-15 on two free throws by reserve Kevin Martin.

However, the Clippers finished the period with a flurry, as two baskets by Paul and two free throws from Jamal Crawford granted Los Angeles a 21-19 lead at the end of the quarter.

San Antonio's bench provided a huge boost at the start of the second quarter, fashioning a 13-1 run that handed the Spurs a 31-22 lead. That margin grew to as many as 12 points, at 45-33 on a turnaround jumper by Aldridge, before the Clippers started chipping away, outscoring San Antonio 11-3 in the final minute to get back to within 48-44 at halftime.

Paul led all scorers with 18 points at the half, while the Spurs got 14 from Leonard and 13 from Aldridge in the first 24 minutes of play.

The intensity was increased in the third quarter, and the teams played a nearly even period. Green's 3-pointer from the right wing brought the Clippers even, and Crawford's pullup jumper with 14.7 seconds to play gave Los Angeles its first lead since the first quarter.

San Antonio snatched back the advantage on a running baseline jumper from reserve Kyle Anderson that went through the net with no time on the clock, and the Spurs led 71-70 heading into the final period.

The Spurs opened the fourth quarter with a 9-2 run that was keyed by three inside baskets by West and a ringing 3-pointer by Ginobili. San Antonio ended up making 15 of its 21 shots in the final period while Los Angeles made just six of 16.

"We adjusted well and we played a way better second half -- everyone could see that," Ginobili said. "We were more energetic and aggressive and more focused. The bench players try to make a push every time, and last year the Clippers' second unit created a lot of trouble for us. Today we were more successful."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com