NBA Special: Spurs win at Home against Portland, 95-78
The sizzling San Antonio Spurs romp to their fifth win in a row as they thrash the Portland Trail Blazers at the AT&T Center, 95-78. The Spur’s 20th victory
of the season was witnessed by 16,743 basketball fans.
High-Flying Players
George Hill posted a season-high 22 points and Manu Ginobili finished with 18 points for the Spurs. Tony Parker contributed with 14 points, while Tim Duncan scored 8 points
and 13 rebounds.
Wesley Matthews did all he could and scored team-high 17 points for Portland. LaMarcus Aldridge chipped in 16 points and 7 rebounds in the defeat. Mike Camby joined them
with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Jockey for Position
The Spurs maintained their best record in the National Basketball Association, at 20-3 this season.
The San Antonio Spurs improved on their best ever season start, as they thrilled the home crowd with a classy blend of offensive and defensive basketball, scoring 26 points
in the first quarter and limiting the visiting team to 17. They forced 14 turnovers and held the Trail Blazers to just 38 percent shooting.
"Today was a good performance defensively. That is something to enjoy, but we still have ways to go. Right now, about 10 or 15 teams are doing a better job defensively.
(During a timeout, 1 1/2 minutes into the game after the Blazers hit their opening three shots) I inserted a few words here and there of the adjectival form that make it hit home a little closer.” -- Spurs coach Gregg Popovich
While on the other hand the Trail Blazers continued with their nasty performance as their key player Brandon Roy had just nine points on 4-of-16 shots. Portland had just
three scorers in double figures. The Blazers matched their season low for points.
"They play fast on the perimeter, and they play really hard," "Tonight we were a little tired and you could tell, they just beat us to every ball”. “ They are a good team.
We know why they have three losses," said Brandon Roy.
With eight minutes to go in halftime, Bonner hit a three-pointer and Antonio McDyess hit a jumper in the closing seconds, and the Spurs took a 50-40 at intermission.
Aldridge got the Trail Blazers within a margin of five points with the help of his 2 dunks and a jumper, 57-52.
With just seven seconds to go in the third quarter, Ginobili had a driving layup that gave the Spurs a 73-61 advantage heading into the fourth.
The Spurs played the final session without any hurdles from the visiting team and maintained a double-digit lead throughout to earn the 20th victory of the
season.
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