Ginobili, Bonner shine as Spurs claim 91-84 win over the Milwaukee Bucks
Manu Ginobili scored a game-high 23 points, as the San Antonio Spurs downed the Milwaukee Bucks 91-84 at the Bradley Centre on Wednesday night. The result marked the Spurs fourth straight win.
Matt Bonner came off the bench and contributed 17 points in the victory. Tim Duncan registered 16 points and eight rebounds in San Antonio’s 33rd victory of the 2010-11 season.
An excited Bonner said after the game, "We have guys do that every night. Everybody on the team has contributed at some point in the season. We needed a shot in the arm in the second half offensively, and I was able to come in and make some shots."
John Salmons did all he could for the Bucks, and scored a team-high 17 points in the defeat. Andrew Bogut ended with 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Bucks, who have lost four of their last five games. Earl Boykins added 12 points, and helped Milwaukee
to take a slender lead heading into the fourth. Drew Gooden returned for Milwaukee after missing 15 of the last 20 games with an injury to his left foot. He finished with eight points in 11 minutes.
Spurs’ centre Tim Duncan was pleased that all the players were stepping up for the team. He said, "A lot of different guys are playing very well on different nights. It's turned into the record that we have now. We're not counting on one individual to try
to get it done every night."
Match Analysis
Milwaukee played fantastically in the opening quarter, and were tenacious in both attack and defence. The Bucks limited the Spurs to just 21 points in the first, and held a 26-21 advantage heading in to the second.
In the second quarter, Milwaukee continued to head the game with some superb offensive play. The Bucks hit 45.7 percent from the field in the first half, taking a 51-43 lead into the break.
The Bucks were however, stifled in the second half by a rigid San Antonio defence. The Spurs held the Bucks to just 31.4 percent shooting (11-for-35) in the second half, and allowed them to score just 33 points in the entire crucial second half. However,
the Bucks managed to maintain a single-point lead at 66-65 going into the final stanza.
With the Spurs trailing by one, Bonner rocked the court and sunk two three-pointers, and a floater which gave San Antonio a 79-72 lead with eight and a half minutes left.
Bucks Coach Scott Skiles was all praise for Bonner at the end of the game. He said, "Nothing against Matt, we're Matt Bonner fans, but we know he's going to pump fake and go right. He pump-faked and went right over, and over, and over again. He made us pay."
John Salmons had just scored an 18-footer and a three-pointer to cap an 8-0 run, which pulled the Bucks within a point at 81-80 with over three minutes left, and Milwaukee had the ball again with a chance to take the lead.
The Bucks got the ball to Salmons again, but the Spurs were ready and prevented him from getting near the basket. Salmons had to settle for a 20-footer with a hand in his face, and after that missed, Ginobili scored on a runner in the lane to make it 83-80.
Salmons then hit two free throws, but Bonner answered with his final points to seal the victory.
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