San Antonio Spurs keep the Los Angeles Clippers winless
The San Antonio Spurs handed the Los Angeles Clippers their fourth-straight defeat of the season with an impressive 97-88 win on Sunday 1 November at the Staples Center.
Tony Parker, who inked a multi-year extension with the Spurs during the weekend, spearheaded San Antonio’s balanced attack as the 28-year old point guard scored 19 points and dished out nine
assists, while high-flying forward Richard Jefferson added 18 markers.
Veteran power-forward Tim Duncan and Argentinean guard Manu Ginobili had 14 points apiece, but it was their bench players who sparked the offensive attack of the Spurs.
Rookie guard Gary Neal came out firing from the bench, scoring 16 points to go with six rebounds, while James Anderson added eight points on 3-for-5 shooting from the field for the Spurs,
who focused on adding younger players during the off-season to preserve the legs of their veterans for a possible play-off run.
"Our bench is a lot better. If Gary Neal and James Anderson can keep playing like that, our bench is going to be pretty good this year," Parker said. "Gary made some shots and James made
some shots and played some good defense. That's all we can ask."
Brazilian rookie big man Tiago Splitter also came off the Spurs’ bench and quickly scored his first two points with a vicious dunk that sparked an 8-2 blast by San Antonio. Splitter only
scored two points, but the 25-year old forward is expected to be in Gregg Popovich’s rotation, along with Neal and Anderson.
The 26-year old Neal had a lacklustrE shooting during the pre-season, but has been on fire in their last two games, shooting 9-for-16 from the field and 6-for-12 from beyond-the-arc.
"I'm feeling pretty good about my game," said Neal after shooting 4-for-8 from the 3-point line against the Clippers. "Since I got here, Coach Pop has given me the green light to shoot open
shots. So if that doesn't make you feel comfortable, nothing will."
The Clippers played without starting point guard Baron Davis, who sat out with a sore left knee, but Eric Gordon racked up 23 points and career-high 11 rebounds, while rookie point guard
Eric Bledsoe added nine points and four steals, and their aggressive play earned praise from Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro.
"The young guards worked hard in trying to push the tempo tonight," Del Negro said. "It's a process for them. I liked Eric Gordon's aggressiveness tonight. He has the ability to be aggressive
as a point guard. Eric Bledsoe worked hard and made some steals."
The Clippers, who also played without Randy Foye for the second-straight game after straining his left hamstring during the weekend, dropped their 17th-straight game against the Spurs since
the 2005-06 season.
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