Manu Ginobili retires from NBA

San Antonio Spurs star Manu Ginobili confirmed his retirement from basketball on Monday, bringing down the curtain on a 23-year career that included four NBA Finals victories.

The 41-year-old Argentine star confirmed his retirement in a brief posting on social media.

"Today, with a wide range of feelings, I'm announcing my retirement from basketball," Ginobili wrote.

"IMMENSE GRATITUDE to everyone (family, friends, teammates, coaches, staff, fans) involved in my life in the last 23 years. It's been a fabulous journey. Way beyond my wildest dreams."

The veteran shooting guard was a key part of the San Antonio teams which won four NBA crowns between 2003 and 2014 after joining the league in 2002 from Italian team Virtus Bologna.

As well as the four NBA titles, Ginobili was twice selected for the All Stars in 2005 and 2011.

He also helped Argentina score a shock gold medal victory at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Ginobili appeared in 1,057 games during his career, averaging 13.3 points, 3.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.32 steals.

He also appeared in 218 playoff games, averaging 14 points per game. Ginobili and LeBron James are the only two players in postseason history to have amassed at least 3,000 points and 300 three-pointers in the playoffs.

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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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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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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.

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Ginobili's return sparks Spurs to latest win

Despite the fact the San Antonio Spurs went 11-1 while Manu Ginobili was out with an injury, there is no doubt about the importance of the 13-year NBA veteran to the team's run toward another championship.

Ginobili scored a season-high 22 points in 15 minutes in his return to the Spurs and sparked the Spurs to a 104-94 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.

Ginobili missed 12 games with a testicular injury suffered February 3 against New Orleans and the subsequent surgery and rehab. He wore a protective cup for the first time in practice this week and played like the injury was the furthest thing from his mind.

"If I play once a month, it helps," Ginobili joked. "I was very excited to be on the court again and competing with my teammates. I got a little bit tired. I'm a 38-year old man and I haven't played for a month so that was expected. I will say, though, that I didn't want to play more than (the 15 minutes)."

And it was hardly surprising for coach Gregg Popovich.

"I've seen him in the three workouts and if I hadn't, then I would've been surprised," Popovich said. "I didn't know how much he was going to play."

Ginobili helped San Antonio turned a close game into a runaway by scoring 13 points during a dominating third quarter and won for the eighth straight outing to remain unbeaten at home this season. The Spurs (53-9) improved to 30-0 at the AT&T Center this season, extending their record for the best home start ever by a Western Conference team.

The victory also allowed San Antonio to lengthen its regular-season home victory streak to 39 games, dating to an overtime loss to Cleveland last March. Their record is the best in franchise history after 62 games.

Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs with 25 points and 13 rebounds. David West added 12 points before fouling out late in the game and Boris Diaw had 11 points.

DeMarcus Cousins led all scorers with 31 points for Sacramento (25-36). Quincy Acy added 16 points and reserve Darren Collison had 11 for the Kings, who cited Ginobili's performance in their postgame comments.

"Manu was the difference-maker," Collison said. "It was unexpected with this being his first game back because we were thinking that he would have a little rust. He was slicing and dicing our defense, whether it was with his drives, his passes or his shooting. He gave them a great lift."

Three of the Spurs' regular starters (LaMarcus Aldridge, who had a migraine), Tim Duncan and Danny Green (rest) sat out. West, Diaw and Jonathan Simmons were inserted in their spots.

That trio had enough of an impact early to carry San Antonio to a 29-22 lead after 12 minutes when Leonard went scoreless. The Kings trailed by as many as 10 points in the second quarter before fighting back to 41-41 on a Cousins free throw with 4:43 left.

The Spurs reeled off a 9-2 run on the strength of a 3-point play by Leonard and 3-pointers from Diaw and Patty Mills to eventually forge a 57-54 lead at halftime.

Any suspense created by Sacramento's uprising in the second quarter was quickly dispelled by San Antonio's play in the first five minutes of the third quarter when they outscored the Kings 12-0 and built a 69-54 lead.

"Our offense got flat and turnovers killed us," Sacramento coach George Karl said. "It almost seemed like we weren't ready to play for the first four or five minutes of the third quarter. San Antonio tries to hit you pretty hard in the third quarter and they did it to us tonight. They just don't make mistakes. It's a team of a bunch of revolving pieces that work great together."

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Spurs kick off title defense by edging Mavericks

LOS ANGELES -- Tony Parker scored 23 points as the San Antonio Spurs began their title defence with a 101-100 win over Dallas in one of three opening-night NBA contests Tuesday.

The Spurs, despite their superb record in ring ceremony games, needed every minute of the contest to hold off their Texas-state rivals, who gave them their most difficult challenge of last year's playoffs.

The Spurs rolled to their fifth title in June by dismantling the LeBron James-led Miami Heat. But first they had to get past the Mavericks in an epic seven-game series in the Western Conference semi-finals.

"We moved the ball much better in the second half," said Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, who came off the bench to score 20 points. "The defense was great. Tony had a couple of big baskets it was a very close game. Anything could have happened."

Tuesday's three-game set to start the 2014-15 regular season also saw Anthony Davis fall one block shy of a triple-double as the New Orleans Pelicans pulled away from the Orlando Magic for a 101-84 home win.

Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers were taking on the Houston Rockets in the late contest.

San Antonio received their championship rings in a pre-game ceremony which also included raising their fifth championship banner in franchise history. The Spurs are now 5-0 in games where they received their championship rings.

"The ring ceremony got me emotional," said Ginobili. "This is a great start. I can't complain."

Parker scored the go ahead three-pointer with under a minute left. Ginobili also had six assists off the bench and Tim Duncan totaled 14 points and 13 rebounds for San Antonio.

Monta Ellis led Dallas with 26 points on 11-of-21 shooting and Dirk Nowitzki added 18 points with six rebounds in the loss.

San Antonio returned almost everyone from last year's team but they had to play the season-opener without NBA finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, who is sidelined by a right eye infection.

Tiago Splitter also sat with a calf injury and Australian Patty Mills will miss the first few months after shoulder surgery.

San Antonio has now won 10 straight regular-season games over the Mavericks, including eight straight at home.

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Championships define legacy of Spurs' Big Three

SAN ANTONIO -- Ever since they joined forces 12 years ago, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker have been able to put personal goals aside and focus on winning championship rings.

The San Antonio Spurs' Big Three did just that Sunday, collecting their fourth championship together by beating the Miami Heat in five games in the 2014 NBA finals.

Theirs is a legacy that is built on titles and not egos, said Ginobili.

"It's very unique. I don't think it's happened to many teams in history where three players have played together for so long and in a successful manner like this where no one is egotistical and trying to demand things," Ginobili said.

The core group combined for 49 points in game five as the Spurs defeated the Heat 104-87 Sunday at the AT&T Center arena to claim their fifth title in franchise history.

Winningest trio in playoff history

The three became the winningest trio in post-season history these playoffs, and now have 117 playoffs victories.

"They've gotten over themselves. (That) is what we always talk about," said Spurs' coach Gregg Popovich. "It's absolutely not about any one of them, and they know that.

"If you have three people on your team that lead the way in that manner, it's to be enjoyed on a daily basis. So that's probably the first thing I've enjoyed about them. It makes my job so much easier."

Their leader through all the ups and downs since the 2002-03 season has been Duncan, who is also the first player in league history to win championships 15 seasons apart with the same team.

Duncan is 38 years old and Ginobili is 36, so there is a chance one of them might not play next season. But with the depth the Spurs' lineup showed in these finals there is also a good chance they could get back here and go for a fifth title together.

Duncan, who suggested on Saturday that he would be back next season, said he has been feeling more reflective during these playoffs.

"I think the last couple of years, I have really taken a step back and stopped to enjoy what the journey means," said the player, a native of the Virgin Islands.

"I appreciate every game more. I appreciate every accomplishment and everything we get to go through and every experience, knowing it might be the last time I do it."

These playoffs have been especially gratifying for three-time finals MVP Duncan. He recorded the 158th career playoff double in game four to pass Magic Johnson for the most all-time.

And his 30 minutes of playing time in game four allowed him to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most all-time career playoff minutes.

Asked about his accomplishments after game four, the soft-spoken Duncan said he was honored.

"I can appreciate you saying the names and having passed them in anything," he said. "It is an honor to be in that position. But the focus is on winning one more and once that is done I can look back and say 'Hey, that's truly an honor.'"

Still explosive

The French-born, five-time NBA all-star Tony Parker made his debut with the Spurs at age 19.

Parker, now 32, showed all series long that he is still explosive and his ability to get to the basket hasn't diminished.

His presence in the finals however was a bit of a surprise because of his repeated injuries.

The Spurs' guard suffered a hamstring strain in game five of the league quarter-finals against Portland, and did not play the second half of game six of the semi-finals with an ankle problem.

The 2014 finals have given new life to Argentine star Ginobili, who is in his 10th season.

He struggled in last year's playoffs and even talked of retirement after one of the worst seasons of his NBA career.

But the talk didn't last long as the Spurs sixth man eventually signed a two-year, $14-million contract.

And it turned out to be money well spent, as Ginobili averaged 14.5 points and 4.2 assists per game in the regular season, and scored 19 points in the game five clincher on Sunday.

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Spurs silence Thunder to lead series 3-2

Manu Ginobili and Boris Diaw were electric off the bench as the San Antonio Spurs routed the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-89 in Game Five of the Western Conference Finals on Thursday to move one win away from a berth in the NBA Finals.

Ginobili scored 19 points, Diaw added 13 and veteran forward Tim Duncan contributed a team-high 22, along with 12 rebounds, as the Spurs made the most of home court advantage to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

All-Star point guard Tony Parker weighed in with 12 points while Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green tallied 14 points apiece as top-seeded San Antonio had six players in double-figures.

The Spurs, aiming for a return to the NBA Finals after losing to the Miami Heat in seven games last year, outshot their opponents by 51 percent to 43 from the field.

League MVP Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 25 points and dynamic guard Russell Westbrook scored 21 but both players appeared to be a little fatigued after their brilliant efforts at home on Tuesday in their Game Four win.

The series shifts back to Oklahoma City for Game Six on Saturday with the eventual winners advancing to meet either the Heat or Indiana Pacers for the NBA title.

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Spurs' Ginobili out 3-4 weeks with injury

San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili is expected miss about three-to-four weeks with a strained left hamstring, the National Basketball Association team said on Wednesday.

Ginobili, the team's third-leading scorer, will miss about 12 games due to the injury suffered in the third quarter of San Antonio's loss to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday.

An MRI exam earlier on Wednesday revealed the strain, the Spurs said in a statement.

The 36-year-old Argentine national has averaged 12.1 points per game this season for a Spurs (33-12) team that is second in the Western Conference.

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Parker powers Spurs over Mavs

SAN ANTONIO - The San Antonio Spurs led wire-to-wire by cruising to a 112-90 victory over the Dallas Mavericks behind a 25-point performance from Tony Parker on Wednesday.

Parker also finished with seven assists and Marco Belinelli came off the bench to score 17 points for the Spurs who snapped the Mavericks' four game National Basketball Association win streak.

The Spurs had to play without star Manu Ginobili, who skipped the contest due to a hamstring injury.

Tim Duncan added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Spurs who held Germany's Dirk Nowitzki to eight points on three-of-14 shooting.

Monta Ellis had a solid game with 21 points and four assists.

Dallas got to the free throw line just eight times while San Antonio shot an impressive 23-of-26 from the foul line.

The Spurs started quickly, building a 12-point lead in the first quarter and cruising into halftime on top, 45-38.

Parker and Duncan then went to work. They scored on the opening five possessions of the third quarter to extend San Antonio's lead to 55-42.

A 15-2 run near the end of the third helped seal the Mavs' fate. Parker opened the run with a three-point play and Belinelli had seven points during it, comprising a three-pointer, a drive to the rim and two free throws to give the hosts a commanding 80-59 lead in the closing seconds.

The Spurs led by as much as 29 in the final quarter.

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Spurs left to rue missed opportunities against Miami

MIAMI - The San Antonio Spurs were inconsolable after the NBA championship was ripped from their grasp in Tuesday's stunning overtime loss to the Miami Heat.

The Spurs were just seconds away from clinching their fifth title when Miami produced a miraculous turnaround to win 103-100 and send the series into a seventh and deciding game.

Tim Duncan, who scored 30 points and pulled in 17 rebounds but ran out of gas in the final quarter, was at a loss to explain his team's failure to close out the game.

"I don't know what happened in the fourth and in overtime," he said. "Whatever you want to call it. It's just a disappointing loss."

It was a game of unrelenting tension and escalating drama but one San Antonio seemed destined to win.

The Spurs led by 13 points late in the third quarter and by five with 28 seconds to go when the wheels suddenly fell off.

Miami's Ray Allen sunk a three-pointer with five seconds left on the clock to send the game into overtime then drained two free throws in overtime to keep the defending champions in the hunt.

"It's bad, very bad," said San Antonio's Argentine guard Manu Ginobili. "We were a few seconds away from winning the championship and we let it go.

"A couple of rebounds that we didn't catch, a tough three by Ray, a couple of missed free throws, it's a very tough moment."

The lone comfort for the Spurs was that they will at least get another chance with Game Seven scheduled for Thursday in Miami, although history favors the home team in winner-takes-all clashes.

The stakes could not be higher with everything on the line and Tony Parker said the Spurs would have to find a way to quickly get over their disappointment if they wanted to win.

"We have no choice, we have to bounce back. We have to realize we have another great opportunity," said the Frenchman.

"It's going to be another great game. I'm sure with the guys on the team we'll be ready to go on Thursday."

Duncan, who has already won four championships with the Spurs dating back to 1999, said there was no need for panic or major overhauls.

"We'll do what we usually do. We'll watch a little bit of film and make a couple of little tweaks. We put ourselves in a position to win a game," he said.

"We know what we can do. We know that we can win games either here or anywhere else, and we just have to execute for a longer period of time.

"We had a lapse for a couple of minutes here and there."

Ginobili was less optimistic about the challenge facing the Spurs.

"I have no clue how we're going to be re-energized. I'm devastated," he said.

"But we have to. There's no Game Eight afterwards. We're going to have to play our best game, even better than today.

"Shoot better, better defense, less turnovers in my case, but there's no secret recipe for bouncing back."

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Spurs' lead trio ground Rockets in win

San Antonio's Big Three delivered a vintage performance to lift the Spurs to a 122-116 victory over Houston on Friday.

Tony Parker had 31 points and 10 assists, Tim Duncan scored 30 points while Manu Ginobili added 23 off the bench in an outburst that was reminiscent of performances when the Spurs won four titles from 1999-2007.

San Antonio snatched a 41-29 lead after the first quarter then had to hold off Houston as the Rockets' James Harden (33 points) and Jeremy Lin (21) helped them pull close in the second and third quarters before losing ground in the final period as their five-game win streak was snapped.

San Antonio (23-8) led just 101-97 early in the fourth before going on an 11-0 run.

Houston shot 52 percent from the field but were outdone by the deadly accurate Spurs who made 57 percent of their shots and knocked down 12 three-pointers.

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