NBA: Red-hot Suns feeding off Kevin Durant ahead of clash with Spurs

The Phoenix Suns will go for their sixth straight win when they host the suddenly dangerous San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night.

Phoenix (43-35) is coming together as the regular season heads into the final stretch and its roster is nearly whole. The Suns flexed their considerable muscle on Sunday in a 128-118 win on the road in Oklahoma City, with Kevin Durant scoring 35 points, 13 of those in the fourth quarter, in Phoenix’s fifth consecutive victory, its longest winning streak since November.

Devin Booker finished with 22 points and 10 assists for the Suns, while Deandre Ayton had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Chris Paul had 16 points and eight assists.

Phoenix shot 56.8 percent from the floor in Sunday’s win to match its season high. The Suns remain in fourth place in the West and are three games up on the Lakers and New Orleans in the race to clinch the conference’s guaranteed playoff spots without having to participate in the play-in tournament.

The Suns are 6-0 with Durant in the lineup. Phoenix is becoming the team insiders expected it to be when Durant was brought to the Valley of the Sun.

“There’s not a way that he can’t score,” Phoenix coach Monty Williams said about Durant after Sunday’s win. “Those kind of players — they want those (clutch) shots. They’re so used to having the ball in their hands. … Guys work their tails off to be ready for those shots and he and Booker are a case in point. That’s what Kevin does.”

Phoenix has won the first two games with the Spurs this season and has defeated San Antonio eight straight times dating back to May 2021.

The Spurs (20-58) head to Phoenix after a rousing 142-134 overtime win in Sacramento on Sunday that snapped a six-game losing streak. San Antonio got a combined 56 points from reserves Doug McDermott (season-best 30 points) and Julian Champagnie (career-high 26 points).

Nine of McDermott’s points came in the extra period in which the Spurs never trailed, while Champagnie scored 22 of his points before halftime.

San Antonio also got a triple-double from Tre Jones (17 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds) in the win, a double-double from Dominick Barlow (12 points, 10 rebounds), 16 points from Zach Collins, 15 from Malaki Branham and 13 from Keita Bates-Diop.

“I think it’s the defensive end, really,” Jones said. “That’s the main thing for us. We came out in overtime and they scored right away but then we were able to string a few stops together. We were able to get some stops in the middle of it all and that really helped us.”

San Antonio was without Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan and Keldon Johnson due to injuries.

“It was a great night for us,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “We had a lot of guys play really well. We had career games by three or four guys. I’m just happy for them. They have been busting their butts all year. We don’t have many wins.”

-reuters

Rozier guides Hornets past Spurs, as Charlotte notches rare home win

Terry Rozier's 31 points lifted Charlotte to a rare home win Saturday as the Hornets posted a 123-117 victory against the San Antonio Spurs.

LaMelo Ball racked up 24 points, P.J. Washington and Montrezl Harrell each had 15 points, Cody Martin and Kelly Oubre Jr. notched 12 points apiece and Miles Bridges finished with 10 points.

The Hornets won for just the 2nd time in their last 10 home games in Saturday's opener of a 3-game homestand that might prove vital to Charlotte getting back on track.

The Spurs have lost 4 consecutive games, keeping coach Gregg Popovich from matching Don Nelson's NBA record of 1,335 regular-season victories.

Keldon Johnson's 33 points and Dejounte Murray's 25 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds were key to keeping the Spurs within range. Devin Vassell added 14 points, Jakob Poeltl had 11 points and Joshua Primo notched 10 points for San Antonio.

Charlotte was 14-for-14 on 4th-quarter free throws and it needed that production to keep the lead. Cody Martin made the last 4 to secure the victory.

Rozier shot 10 for 18 from the field, including 6 for 8 on 3-pointers. Five different Charlotte players made a 3-point basket as the team shot 16 for 42 from long range.

Meanwhile, San Antonio shot 11 for 37 on 3-pointers.

The Spurs went up 97-91 late in the third quarter before the Hornets scored the next eight points, all in the final 56 seconds of the quarter.

When Rozier drained a 3 with less than 5 1/2 minutes remaining in the fourth, Charlotte's lead jumped to 113-107.

This game was remarkably tight throughout. The Hornets outscored San Antonio 31-30 in both the first and second quarters. Each team scored 37 points in the third quarter.

The top rebounder for each team failed to score in double figures. Mason Plumlee had 13 rebounds and four points for the Hornets, while Zach Collins pulled in 10 boards to go with five points for the Spurs.

-reuters

NBA: Trae Young’s double-double leads surging Hawks past Spurs

Trae Young scored 31 points and dished out 11 assists and keyed an early third-quarter run that broke open the game as the visiting Atlanta Hawks steamrolled the San Antonio Spurs, 124-106, on Wednesday to capture their sixth straight contest.

The Hawks led by seven points at the half and stretched that advantage to 17 by midway through the third period. Young had 10 points in that pivotal stretch and scored 17 of his points after halftime as Atlanta dominated in the second half and won on the road for just the second time this season.

Bogdan Bogdanovic added 18 points for the Hawks, with John Collins scoring 15, Lou Williams and Cam Reddish hitting for 12 apiece, Clint Capela tallying 11 points and taking 13 rebounds, and Kevin Huerter and Danilo Gallinari scoring 10 points each.

Bryn Forbes led the Spurs with 23 points, while Dejounte Murray added 22 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, and Jakob Poeltl and Keldon Johnson scored 15 points each. Poeltl also grabbed 10 rebounds for San Antonio, which has lost six straight games and is off to its worst start since the 1996-97 season

The Spurs led by as many as seven points in the first quarter, thanks to Murray's 13 points, before two baskets by Young in the final 39.6 seconds evened the game at 27 at the end of the period. The game went back and forth in the second period before the Hawks took a 55-54 lead on Bogdanovic's 3-pointer at the 3:24 mark and pushed their advantage to 65-58 at the half as Young again hit two late baskets.

Murray led all scorers with 15 points at the half, with Poeltl adding 12 and Forbes contributing 11 points off the bench for the Spurs. San Antonio stayed close thanks to 13 second-chance points.

Young had 14 points at the half for Atlanta while Bogdanovic hit for 10. The Hawks outshot San Antonio 53.1 percent to 43.4 percent over the first two quarters.

Atlanta took charge of the game in the first half of the third quarter, as Young hit for 10 points and assisted on a dunk by Capela to help the Hawks go up 84-67 by the 6:12 mark.

-reuters- 

NBA: Huge first half leads Pacers to rout of Spurs

Domantas Sabonis finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds and the Indiana Pacers rolled to a 22-point halftime lead while cruising to a 131-118 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday in Indianapolis.

After losing by seven and three points to the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors, respectively, in their past two games, the Pacers took any suspense out of Monday's game early on while snapping a four-game losing streak.

Indiana built a 25-point advantage midway through the third quarter and waltzed to the finish line, routing a San Antonio team that had allowed just 93 points to the defending league champ Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.

Myles Turner added 19 points for Indiana. Justin Holiday scored 17, Chris Duarte racked up 18, Caris LeVert tallied 16 and T.J. McConnell contributed 10 points and 10 assists. The Pacers sank a season-high 18 3-pointers in the win.

Dejounte Murray led the Spurs with 16 points. Devin Vassell added 15, Derrick White hit for 13, Jakob Poeltl scored 11 points, and Bryn Forbes, Jock Landale, Lonnie Walker IV and Keita Bates-Diop added 10 points each for San Antonio, which has lost five of its past six games.

In the first quarter, Indiana shot 68 percent from the floor and canned 8 of 10 3-point attempts and building a 43-33 lead. Murray kept the Spurs close, scoring 14 in the quarter, but San Antonio committed five turnovers in the period, leading to 11 points.

The Pacers kept rolling in the second quarter, ending up at 63.8 percent shooting and with 12 threes on the way to a 78-56 lead at halftime.

Indiana already had five players in double-figure scoring by halftime, led by Turner's 14 points (12 of which came in the first quarter) and 12 each from LeVert, Sabonis and Holiday.

Murray paced all scorers at the half with 16 points, but didn't score after the break while playing just 10 more minutes.

-reuters

NBA: Nikola Jokic's big night guides Nuggets over Spurs

Nikola Jokic had 32 points and 16 rebounds, Monte Morris scored 13 points, and the host Denver Nuggets beat the San Antonio Spurs 102-96 on Friday night.

Will Barton scored 12 points and JaMychal Green had 10 points off the bench for Denver, which won its home opener.

Keldon Johnson led San Antonio with 27 points. Derrick White added 16 and Jakob Poeltl and Dejounte Murray scored 15 points each for the Spurs.

The Nuggets led by 11 after Green's dunk opened the fourth quarter, but San Antonio chipped away. Johnson hit two jumpers and Poeltl had a dunk and a layup to pull the Spurs within 83-78.

After a timeout, Denver had two empty possessions while White hit two free throws and Poeltl made another layup to make it a 1-point game.

San Antonio missed a 3-pointer that would have given it the lead and Facu Campazzo broke the Nuggets' drought with a layup. That started an 11-3 run capped by Michael Porter Jr.'s 3-pointer with 4:05 left.

Jokic's 13-foot turnaround jumper with 1:32 left made it 100-93, but White answered with a 3-pointer to get the Spurs within four. Morris hit a jumper that sealed it.

Denver scored the first basket of the third quarter, but San Antonio quickly responded. Poeltl dunked off a White miss, Johnson hit a pull-up jumper after Porter missed and Murray turned two Nuggets turnovers into a layup and a 3-pointer to give the Spurs a 59-55 lead.

Denver responded with a 12-5 run, highlighted by Jokic grabbing a defensive rebound and going coast-to-coast for a layup that tied the game.

The Nuggets increased the lead to 10 on a 3-pointer by Jokic and his pass to Campazzo for a layup, and took a 79-70 advantage into the fourth quarter.

The Nuggets led 53-50 at the break but had 11 turnovers in the first half, which kept San Antonio close. Jokic had 13 points to lead Denver and Johnson paced San Antonio with 18 in the first two quarters.

-reuters-

Doncic scores 24 in NBA return as Mavericks down Spurs

LOS ANGELES – Luka Doncic made a winning return from a four-game injury absence on Thursday (Friday, Manila time), scoring 24 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 102-98 NBA victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

Doncic, whose eight triple-doubles are the most in the NBA this season, added 10 rebounds and eight assists in his first game since he sprained his right ankle in a December 14 game against Miami.

"Felt good," a smiling Doncic said, although he added: "It was like I was running a marathon, I was so tired.


"When you miss four or five games, it's different, but it was great being back and we won," added Doncic, who played without any minutes restriction.

The Mavericks led by 17 points with 4:07 left to play.

San Antonio scored the last 13 points of the game but couldn't completely close the gap.

Rudy Gay's 3-pointer with 38.6 seconds left pulled San Antonio within four points.

But the Spurs' Derrick White missed a 3-pointer with 5.8 seconds remaining, and Doncic corralled the rebound to close it out.


Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 17 points, and Kristaps Porzingis and Dorian Finney-Smith added 13 apiece for the Mavs.

DeMar DeRozan led San Antonio, scoring 16 of his 21 points in the second half.

In Detroit, the Pistons snapped a five-game skid with a 132-102 rout of the Washington Wizards.

Detroit matched their season high for points as they turned the tables on a team that had beaten them twice already this season.

Christian Wood led the Pistons with 22 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Tim Frazier added 17 points and six assists, Blake Griffin scored 14 points with 11 rebounds and Andre Drummond added 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Detroit, up 68-48 at halftime, out-scored the Wizards 38-28 in the third to put the game away, giving coach Dwane Casey a chance to rest players — including the banged-up Griffin — in the fourth quarter.

To make matters worse for Washington, All-Star Bradley Beal left the court in the fourth quarter with soreness in his right lower leg.

He said he'd felt discomfort in the first half.

"We'll see how he feels tomorrow and evaluate it," coach Scott Brooks said.

In New York, Julius Randle drained a career-high five 3-pointers on the way to 33 points to lead the Knicks to a 94-82 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in a cross-town clash at the Barclays Center.

Marcus Morris scored 22 points for the Knicks, who snapped a three-game skid with their first win over the Nets in three meetings this season.

Spencer Dinwiddie led the Nets with 25 points on 5 of 15 shooting.

Randle connected on 14 of 26 from the field for his second straight 30-point game.

The injury-depleted Nets connected on just 21 of 78 shots from the field.

Their 26.9 percent shooting was the worst in the league this year — worse than the 29.9 percent shooting performance of the Chicago Bulls against Toronto in November.

Irving absent

“We were just sharp," Randle said. "To hold that team to 82 points, 14 points in the paint, is just really, really sharp.

"We grinded the whole way, played a complete basketball game and we got the win."

Brooklyn star Kyrie Irving missed his 19th straight game as he continues to recover from a right shoulder injury, with Nets coach Kenny Atkinson offering little information on when he might return.

"I think we're still in the rehab process," Atkinson said, adding that he didn't think Irving and the Nets had reached the point of contemplating surgery.

"We're (in) on-court workout situation but the contact just hasn't been cleared yet," he said of Irving's progress. "I think that's the next hurdle. I wish I could tell you when that is.

"Hopefully sooner rather than later."

source: philstar.com

Spurs overcome Lakers, LeBron

Celtics snap Pistons romp; Bucks 6-0, Cavs 0-6

SAN ANTONIO – DeMar DeRozan had 30 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists and the Spurs rallied in the fourth quarter, overcoming 35 points and 11 rebounds from LeBron James to beat Los Angeles, 110-106.

The Spurs’ first lead came at 93-91 with 10 minutes remaining when DeRozan laid in his own miss after beating three Lakers to the rebound.

San Antonio built the lead to eight points before James cut it to 106-105 with four straight points and an assist to Josh Hart on a 3-pointer. DeRozan responded with a fadeaway jumper on Hart with 15.9 seconds remaining to help preserve the lead and the eventual win.

Rudy Gay added 16 points and LaMarcus Aldridge had 15 points as the Spurs beat the Lakers for the second time in a week.

In Cleveland, Bojan Bogdanovic scored 25 points, Victor Oladipo had 24 and Indiana beat Cleveland to drop the Cavaliers to 0-6 with a 119-107 victory.

In New Orleans,  Ricky Rubio had 28 points and 12 assists, Rudy Gobert had 25 points and 14 rebounds, and the Utah Jazz became the first team this season to beat the New Orleans Pelicans, 132-111 on Saturday night.

New Orleans played without star forward Anthony Davis. He was ruled out shortly before the game because of his sprained right elbow – an injury through which he’d played in a victory a night earlier over Brooklyn.

In Detroit, Jaylen Brown scored 19 points, Marcus Morris added 18 and Boston handed Detroit its first loss of the season, 109-89.

Andre Drummond had 18 points and eight rebounds, and Stanley Johnson scored a season-high 16 for Detroit. The Pistons won their first four games of the season for the first time since 2008-09.

In Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 21 points and Khris Middleton had 18 and Milwaukee beat Orlando, 113-91,  to improve to 6-0, one shy of the record set by the 1971-72 team.

Antetokounmpo added seven rebounds in a season-low 19 minutes. Nikola Vucevic had 16 points and nine rebounds for Orlando.

In Philadelphia, Joel Embiid had 27 points and 14 rebounds, and J.J. Redick and Robert Covington hit key 3-pointers late to lead Philadelphia past Charlotte, 105-103.

In Miami, Goran Dragic scored 28 points, Dwyane Wade and Kelly Olynyk each had 19 and Miami scrambled in the final minutes to beat Portland, 120-111.

At Atlanta, Zach LaVine scored 27 points and Chicago was 7 of 10 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter to pull away from Atlanta en route to a 97-85 win.

In Memphis, Marc Gasol scored 19 points, Mike Conley added 18 and Memphis took a big lead in the first half before coasting past Phoenix, 117-96.

Complete Results:

Spurs 110, Lakers 106; Celtics 109, Pistons 89; Bucks 113, Magic 91; 76ers 105, Hornets 103; Heat 120, Trail Blazers 111; Bulls 97, Hawks 85; Grizzlies 117, Suns 96; Pacers 119, Cavaliers 107.

source: philstar.com

Warriors stomp Spurs in clash of NBA heavyweights

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Golden State Warriors recorded a knockout in Round 1 of their battle with the San Antonio Spurs for Western Conference regular-season superiority Monday night, riding Stephen Curry’s 37 points to a 120-90 victory in the highly anticipated showdown.

The reigning NBA Most Valuable Player bombed in five 3-pointers as the Warriors (41-4) shot 11-for-26 from beyond the arc in the first meeting of the top two teams in the West this season.

Golden State’s 39th consecutive home victory — their 21st this season — gave it a three-game lead over San Antonio (38-7) in their duel for top seeding in the Western playoffs.

The loss snapped a 13-game winning streak for the Spurs, who had an 18.0-point average margin of victory during that run. They played without star power forward Tim Duncan, who was resting an ailing right knee.

Curry, who hit 12 of his 20 shots overall, also had four assists and five steals in 29 minutes for the Warriors, whose last home loss (Nov. 11, 2014) came at the hands of the Spurs.

In fact, San Antonio had prevailed in 23 of its previous 26 visits to Oakland before falling behind by seven in the fifth minute of the game and by as many as 19 in the second period.

Curry set the tone early, connecting on three 3-pointers in a 15-point first period during which the Spurs fell behind despite playing their most competitive ball of the night.

But when backup guard Shaun Livingston got into the act with five consecutive hoops in the second period, including dunks off assists from Curry, power forward Draymond Green and fellow reserve Andre Iguodala, the game got away from the Spurs for good.

Curry crushed the Spurs with three more 3-pointers in the third period, during which the Warriors ran up a 95-66 lead to set the stage for an inconsequential final 12 minutes.

Curry added 18 points to his total in the quarter while nearly outscoring San Antonio (19) single-handedly.

Livingston totaled 13 points for the Warriors, who won their fourth straight game. Fellow backups Brandon Rush and Marreese Speights also finished with 13 points.

Green had 11 points, nine rebounds and six assists in 27 minutes, and shooting guard Klay Thompson was a sixth Warrior in double figures with 11 points.

The Warriors shot 51.8 percent from the field, compared to San Antonio’s 41.9 percent.

Small forward Kawhi Leonard hit seven consecutive free throws in a 16-point outing for the Spurs, whose six previous losses had come by a total of just 33 points.

Power forward David West, starting in place of Duncan, made six of his eight shots on a 12-point night for San Antonio, which won the season series 2-1 over the champion Warriors last year.

Backup center Boban Marjanovic dropped in 12 points in 13 minutes.

The Spurs’ starting backcourt of Tony Parker (five points) and Danny Green (three) was outscored 45-8 by Warriors counterparts Curry and Thompson.

NOTES: Asked to describe his anxiety level before the game, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich admitted, “I’ve got butterflies in my gut. I don’t feel like that every night.” … The matchup of 40-4 and 38-6 clubs had the highest combined winning percentage (.886) in NBA history for a showdown at least 40 games into the season. The previous mark of .871 had been set on Jan. 9, 1972, when the Milwaukee Bucks (35-8) ended the 33-game winning streak of the Los Angeles Lakers (39-3). … The game pitted the league’s top offense (Golden State, 114.7 points per game) against the league’s top defense (San Antonio, 89.8). … Warriors coach Steve Kerr was teammates with Spurs PF Tim Duncan (four years), PG Tony Parker (one year) and SG Manu Ginobili (one year) during his four seasons playing for Popovich in San Antonio. … When asked how the Spurs have improved defensively this season, Kerr observed, “The biggest change is Tony Parker. He just looks healthier and more active defensively.”

source: interaksyon.com

Injured Tim Duncan to miss mouthwatering Warriors-Spurs clash

The Golden State Warriors host San Antonio on Monday and even the absence of Spurs superstar Tim Duncan can’t dim anticipation for the clash of NBA titans.

The Spurs announced on Sunday that veteran forward Duncan would miss the contest with soreness in his right knee.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is notoriously careful with his aging players, wanting to ensure the team will be at full strength when the playoffs roll around.

He was fined by the league in November of 2012 for resting four players for a nationally televised game against the Miami Heat.

Duncan, 39, sat out Thursday’s win over the Phoenix Suns to rest, but played Friday against the Lakers.

His absence from the marquee matchup in Oakland, California, will likely mean more court time for David West, Boris Diaw and Boban Marjanovic.

After winning their 13th straight game in Los Angeles on Friday, the Spurs insisted the contest against Golden State was “just another game on the schedule,” in the words of Kawhi Leonard.

But the Warriors are 40-4 after starting the season a record 24-0 — their blistering run overshadowing the Spurs’ march to 38-6 that represents the club’s best through 44 games.

Neither team has lost on its home floor.

Even the pragmatic Popovich knows that it will be hard for his players to maintain a business-as-usual attitude come tip-off.

“There’s no doubt the players will look at it as more than that,” Popovich said. “They can’t help it.”

source: interaksyon.com

Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard named Finals MVP

Spurs third-year forward Kawhi Leonard was named Finals MVP after another big performance in the title-clinching 104-87 win over the Miami Heat in Game Five in San Antonio.

Leonard, who is only 22 years old, became the youngest Finals MVP since teammate Tim Duncan won the award in 1999, when he was the same age.

Aside from his defense on four-time NBA MVP LeBron James, Leonard stepped up in a big way on the other end, leading the Spurs with averages of 23.7 points and 9.3 rebounds in the last three games – all of them lopsided wins for San Antonio.

He finished with 22 point and 10 rebounds, both team-highs, as the Spurs clinched their fifth title in franchise history.

It was no surprise to the San Antonio fans, who serenaded Leonard with ‘MVP’ chants every time he was on the free throw line, even as early as the first quarter.

He was also the first Finals MVP that wasn’t an All-Star since Chauncey Billups in 2004.

source: interaksyon.com

Spurs destroy Thunder by 35 points to take 2-0 series lead

SAN ANTONIO — They come at opponents in waves, future Hall of Famers and adept role players comprising the NBA’s deepest roster.

Guard Tony Parker, one of the stars, scored 22 points Wednesday. Guard Danny Green, part of the supporting cast, made seven 3-point baskets and scored 21. Thanks in part to the duo’s contributions, the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-77 Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.

San Antonio earned its seventh win in eight games. In this one, the Spurs outshot the Thunder 50 percent to 39.3 percent from the field and had a 21-5 edge in free throws made.

Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant and guard Russell Westbrook were limited to 15 point apiece, converting just 13 of 40 shots between them. Their 30 points together were 26.6 fewer than they were averaging during the playoffs.

“Whenever great players have nights like that, it’s never one thing,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “I’m sure at times we guarded them well, and I’m sure at times they had open shots that they didn’t make.”

The Spurs, leading by 14 at halftime, outscored the Thunder 33-18 in the third quarter. San Antonio converted 12 of 16 shots in the process.

“I don’t think anybody on our team played well, including myself,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said.

Oklahoma City is playing without injured shot-blocking forward Serge Ibaka, who has a strained calf and will miss the rest of the playoffs, according to Brooks.

The Spurs took advantage by scoring 54 points in the paint. They pummeled the Thunder with Green’s 3-point baskets. He needed only 10 attempts to make his seven 3-pointers.

Green also spent more time guarding Durant than he normally would because Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard was in foul trouble during the first half, playing just nine minutes.

Parker and Green had sufficient help even without much of a presence from Leonard. Forward Tim Duncan contributed 14 points and 12 rebounds. Center Tiago Splitter grabbed 10 rebounds, scored nine points and blocked three shots.

San Antonio made an 11-2 push during the final 2:18 of the first half to take a 58-44 lead.

The Spurs made three 3-point baskets during the run, two by Green, the other by guard Manu Ginobili.

Green hit four 3-pointers in the half. On one, Ginobili made one of those passes that only he seems to make, flinging the ball from the left corner across the baseline to the right corner.

Ginobili’s 3-pointer came from 27 feet after he secured an offensive rebound.

Oklahoma City contributed to San Antonio’s strong first-half finish by committing three turnovers during the final 1:31.

Parker produced 14 points and five assists in the half. Durant and Westbrook scored 11 each before the break, but they combined to make just nine of 26 shots.

“We had a really good quarter going, actually a good half,” Brooks said. “Then they hit three 3s, we turned it over three times and we took a couple of tough shots. We didn’t do a good job of responding after that run.”

San Antonio won Game 1 by 17 points. Now this. Durant, after two blowout defeats, said, “It’s hard to stay together. We have to figure it out.”

The series moves to Oklahoma City for Game 3 on Sunday and Game 4 on Tuesday. Parker suggested that the Spurs have not accomplished much yet, recalling that they went to Oklahoma City with a 2-0 lead in the 2012 Western Conference finals and lost four straight, including one in San Antonio.

“We just did our job (Wednesday),” Parker said. “We won our first two games at home. Nobody is very happy in the locker room.”

NOTES: Thunder F Nick Collison went scoreless Monday in Game 1 in his first start of the season, missing three shots in 15:32 of playing time. But coach Scott Brooks left Collison in the starting lineup on Wednesday as the replacement for injured F Serge Ibaka. Collison produced two points and two rebounds in 13 minutes during Game 2. … Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said F Boris Diaw was fine after getting poked in the right eye by Thunder C Steven Adams in the first half of Game 1. Diaw scored 11 points in Game 2. … The Spurs had the best record in the NBA this season, earning home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, despite F Kawhi Leonard missing 16 games and guards Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green sitting out 14 apiece. … Collison made a 12-foot shot in the first half by batting a pass from Derek Fisher into the basket. With one-10th of a second left on the shot clock, there was no time to catch the pass and get a shot off.

source: interaksyon.com

With second straight title, Miami Heat set to start latest NBA dynasty

MIAMI – LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have faced plenty of adversity together and Thursday’s title-deciding seventh game of the NBA Finals was their biggest test yet.

“It’s the ultimate. I am at a loss for words,” James said of the Heat’s 95-88 victory over the San Antonio Spurs Thursday in the last game of the best-of-seven series.

“I am LeBron James from Akron, Ohio — from the inner city. I am not even supposed to be here.”

The Miami Heat dynasty is now officially off and running while the San Antonio Spurs let one slip away.

And in the end, James grabbed another championship ring and added his second NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award in a row to go with it, securing his place as one of the greatest players in NBA history.

James capped his season with a game-high 37 points and 12 rebounds as he became only the ninth player to win multiple NBA Finals MVP awards, joining Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Larry Bird, Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tim Duncan and Willis Reed.

He averaged 25.3 points, 10.9 rebounds and seven assists in the finals and had the highest-scoring NBA Finals seventh game since 1969 when Jerry West scored 42 points against the Boston Celtics.

Wade, who finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds Thursday, earned his third championship ring and is one of just two Heat players, along with Udonis Haslem, to be on all three Miami championship teams.

“We go through life so fast,” Wade said. “The championships I’ve won seem like they went past me so fast.

“Tonight I wanted to take a minute, take a moment and just soak it in. This is a special moment for me.”

James struggled to find his form early in the series but his overall performance was brilliant and even Jordan-like, especially the way he had to step outside his comfort zone on offense and take whatever the Spurs’ defenders would give him.

“I watched film, and my mind started to work and I said, ‘OK, this is how they’re going to play me for the whole series.’

“I looked at all my regular-season stats, all my playoff stats, and I was one of the best mid-range shooters in the game. I shot a career high from the 3-point line.

“I just told myself, ‘Don’t abandon what you’ve done all year. Don’t abandon now because they’re going under. Don’t force the paint. If it’s there, take it. If not, take the jumper.’

“I did a good job in game four. I didn’t make as many shots as I would like to from the outside in game five, but I kept on getting into the rhythm of it, just telling myself that everything you’ve worked on, the repetition, the practices, the off-season training, no matter how big the stakes are, no matter what’s on the line, just go with it. And I was able to do that.”

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said in Game Seven it came down to James’ mid- and long-range jump shot.

“As the series went on, he realized that was the shot that was going to be open and in the biggest game, the biggest moment, those are the shots that he hit,” Spoelstra said. “And those were the difference tonight.”

The Heat needed a miraculous comeback to win Game Six in overtime against the Spurs to earn the title, which takes its place alongside Miami’s 2012 and 2006 championships over Oklahoma City and Dallas respectively.

“We are just getting started,” Heat guard Mario Chalmers said.

James said winning feels great but doesn’t get any easier.

“Last year when I was sitting up here, with my first championship, I said it was the toughest thing I had ever done,” James said.

“This year I’ll tell last year I was absolutely wrong. This was the toughest championship right here, between the two.

“I mean, everything that we’ve been through this post-season, especially in these finals. We were down every odd game.

“We were scratching for our lives in Game Six, down five with 28 seconds to go. To be able to win that game and force a Game Seven is a true testament of our perseverance and us being able to handle adversity throughout everything.”

source: interaksyon.com

He Got Game: Ray Allen saves Heat’s season from — where else? — the three-point line

MIAMI — Ray Allen has made more three pointers than any player in the NBA but with five seconds left and his team three points down on Tuesday, he had not made a single one in the crucial Game Six of the NBA Finals.

Miami’s only hope of keeping their series with San Antonio, and their season, alive was to make a basket from beyond the three point line and LeBron James tried his luck.

The ball bounced out off the backboard, Chris Bosh grabbed it and zipped it to Allen, who with his trademark nonchalance effortlessly made the shot and forced the game into overtime.

“When I saw CB get the ball, I just back pedaled right to the three-point line and I was hoping I was where I needed to be. But I wasn’t quite sure,” said the 37-year-old Allen.

“But just from years of shooting, I got to my spot. It is going to be a shot that I am going to remember for a long time.

“There are a lot of shots that I have made in my career but this will go high up in the ranks because of that situation,” he added.

Allen’s modesty led him to acknowledge that the Heat had survived with their 103-100 overtime victory to force a Game Seven with some good fortune.

“I’ve known my whole career that sometimes you just get lucky. When you win championships, it involves a little luck. That right there was luck shining on our side,” he said.

After Bosh grabbed the rebound, James screamed at him for a second chance but not surprisingly was cool about the decision to pass to Allen.

“If it’s not me taking the shot, I have no problem with Ray taking that shot. He’s got ice water in his veins,” James said.

“Ray can be 0-99 in a game and if he gets an open look late in the game, it’s going down.

“That’s just the confidence he has in himself. It is the way he prepares for every game and the belief we have in him. We have seen it before.

“We are happy to have him on our side and this is the reason why we wanted him in games like this.”

The game will go down as one of the finest in the NBA Finals and James said it was certainly the greatest he had been involved in.

“It was by far the best game I’ve ever been a part of. The ups and downs, the roller coaster, the emotions, good and bad through the whole game.

“I’m happy about the way we dug down were able to get a win. It didn’t look like we could muster it up at some points in the game.

In the latter stages of the play-offs Miami have been unable to find the consistency that was the hallmark of their regular season, where they won 27 games in one stretch, but James was unperturbed by that criticism.

“I really don’t care how the hell we have played so far,” he said.

“We could have played the six worst games of our lives but now we have got Game Seven on our floor.

“Thursday is all for the marbles”.

source: interaksyon.com

Spurs going for the kill in Game Six in Miami

MIAMI – The San Antonio Spurs are making a habit of winning bounce back games in the 2013 National Basketball Association playoffs.

The Spurs have lost four games in the post-season and each time they have rebounded with an impressive victory.

In the NBA finals, they were blown out 103-84 by the Heat in game two, but bounced back to win by 36 in game three, 113-77. They lost 109-93 in Game Four, then jumped out to an early lead and never trailed in a 114-104 win Sunday in Game Five.

The series now shifts to Miami, where the Spurs can clinch their fifth title in franchise history with a win Tuesday at American Airlines arena.

“It is going to take everything we’ve got,” said Spurs Game Four hero Danny Green.

All five Spurs starters finished in double figures Sunday, including Manu Ginobili and Green, who had six three pointers to break Ray Allen’s all-time record for the most three pointers in the NBA finals.

“I hope he doesn’t wake up and keeps playing this way,” said Spurs Tim Duncan of Green, who scored 24 points and now has 25 three-pointers in the 2013 finals.

“We are asking him to defend LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and all these guys. He has got a lot on his shoulders and he has stepped up and answered the bell.”

Ginobili, who was starting his first game of the post-season, had a season-best 24 points and 10 assists.

“He has confidence in himself and he should just continue to compete,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of Ginobili. “That’s what he has done his whole career.”

Ginobili finished with 20 points and 10 assists just once previously in the playoffs and that came in 2007 in the semi-finals against Utah.

The Heat’s marquee trio of James (25 points), Wade (25) and Chris Bosh (16) were effective but not enough to allow Miami to ever take the lead in Game Five.

Miami is at home and on the brink of elimination for the second time in three NBA finals.

“We are going to see if we are a better ballclub and if we are prepared for the moment,” Wade said.

source: interaksyon.com

Heat strike back against Spurs to tie NBA finals series

The Miami Heat showed championship pride, rebounding from a blowout loss with a 109-93 victory over the Spurs in San Antonio on Thursday (Friday morning Manila time).

With its Game Four win, Miami tied the NBA finals series at 2-all.

“They kicked our butts the other night,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. “We were horrible. There was a better response today.”

LeBron James led the way with 33 points and 11 rebounds, but it was Dwyane Wade’s vintage performance that turned things around for the Heat. The 2006 NBA finals MVP played his finest game of the postseason with 32 points, six rebounds, and six steals.

San Antonio committed 19 turnovers, which Miami turned into 23 points.

“Turnovers obviously hurt us. We can’t give them over 20 points on turnovers. They’re too good,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

Chris Bosh added 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Heat.

Miami looked nothing like the team that was humiliated 113-77 in Game Three as once again they displayed their ability to recover from defeats.

Miami is now a perfect 6-0 following a defeat in the post-season and all six wins have come by double digits. Miami hasn’t lost back-to-back games since January 8 and 10.

Tony Parker had 15 points and 11 assists and Tim Duncan finished with 20 points for the Spurs, who were looking to take a stranglehold on the series after their dominating victory in the last match.

Parker was playing with a sore hamstring he injured in the previous game.

Spoelstra decided to shake up his lineup Thursday by starting forward Mike Miller. James also made good on his guarantee to play better after a dismal performance in the game three loss.

Miami outscored the Spurs 28-17 in the fourth quarter after the teams were tied 49-49 at the half.

James drained a 25-foot three pointer for the last of his 33 points with 23 seconds left in regulation to help seal the win in front of a crowd of 18,581 at the AT&T Center.

James said going into Thursday’s game that he took “full responsibility” for the Heat’s ugly loss in game three and vowed to do better.

He got his first field goal halfway through the first quarter on a driving layup to cut the Spurs’ lead to six points, 15-9.

San Antonio did come out the stronger of the two teams Thursday as France’s Parker scored six points and the Spurs hit three from beyond the arc to jump out to a 15-5 lead in the first five minutes.

But Miami shot 60 percent from the field in the first quarter and Wade made a running eight foot jump shot to give the Heat a 29-26 lead heading going into the second quarter.

The Spurs closed the second period on an 11-2 surge which included seven points from Parker.

Boris Diaw’s driving layup allowed the Spurs to tied the score, 49-49, going into halftime.

Diaw completed a nice give-and-go with Danny Green who got the assist on the final basket of the first half.

Game Five of the series is set on Sunday (Monday Manila time) in San Antonio.

source: interaksyon.com

San Antonio Spurs handle Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of West Finals

SAN ANTONIO – Entering the Western Conference Finals, the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder shared one definitive characteristic—they were playing like offensive juggernauts throughout the season and beyond. The Spurs were the second-ranked offense in the NBA this year, and came into this series on an 18-game winning streak during which they averaged 109.3 points per game. Oklahoma City had the third-ranked offense and was averaging 100.0 points per game in the playoffs.

But if you were looking for an offensive explosion here in Game 1, you were disappointed. It was defense that ruled the day, for the first 36 minutes, at least—the two teams shot 40.3 percent combined through three quarters.

In the fourth quarter, though, San Antonio’s offense was able to pull away from the Thunder, paving the way to a 101-98 win here at the AT&T Center.

For the Spurs, Manu Ginobili led the way with 26 points (11 in fourth quarter) on 9-for-14 shooting. Tim Duncan had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Tony Parker scored 18. The Spurs yielded 27 points to Kevin Durant, but forced Oklahoma City’s other two top scorers, Russell Westbrook (17 points, 7-for-21 shooting) and James Harden (19, 7-for-17), into inefficient games. Each had four turnovers, too,

In the first half, the two teams were clearly feeling each other out, each going on mini-spurts but failing to establish any significant advantage—there were six lead changes, three ties and neither team led by more than six. The most notable feature of the first 24 minutes was the play of the oldest guys on the floor.

For the Thunder, 37-year-old Derek Fisher started 4-for-4 and had nine first-half points (he would finish with 13 on 6-for-8 shooting). For the Spurs, Duncan, 36, had six points and five rebounds, and 34-year-old Ginobili led his team with 10.

Oklahoma City seemed to take control of the game in the third quarter, holding the Spurs to just 16 points in the period on 6-for-24 shooting, surging to a 71-62 lead. But after Harden put Oklahoma City up, 73-64, with 11:18 to go in the fourth, the Spurs began to shift the momentum, driven in part by the raucous home crowd. They went on an 18-3 run over the next 6:13, capped by a 3-pointer from Gary Neal , that staked the Spurs to an 82-76 lead.

The Thunder kept hanging in, though, until guard Stephen Jackson all but sealed the win with a 3-pointer that put the Spurs up by seven with 3:02 to play. San Antonio fended off Oklahoma City from there.

The Spurs outscored the Thunder, 39-27, in the fourth quarter, shooting 12-for-16 from the field and 13-for-18 from the free-throw line.

source: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2012-05-27/spurs-okc-thunder-game-1-score-derek-fisher-manu-ginobili-kevin-durant