Tony Parker leads San Antonio Spurs to 115-107 win over the Houston Rockets
The NBA’s best side, the San Antonio Spurs, knew that the Houston Rockets would be a tough side to beat come Saturday night; they were right in their assessment.
The Rockets, who are fast losing out on a spot in the play-offs with every passing loss, gave the Spurs a real run for their money. Staring at a 13-point deficit late in the second quarter, the Rockets turned the game on its head in the second half. After
rattling the Spurs with an 11-point run in the third quarter, they continued to pile the pressure on the San Antonio defence deep into the fourth quarter. When Chuck Hayes levelled the playing field at 107 with over a minute to go, the stage was set for a
thrilling finish.
However, the Spurs came up with the big plays when it mattered the most, just like they’ve done all season. Tim Duncan, who had just shot 2-of-8 from the field until that point, nailed in a jumper with just over a minute to go. Seconds later, he shot twice
from the charity stripe and the Spurs never looked back. The game ended at 115-107 and improved the Spurs record to 54-12 for the season.
Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich said after the game, "Houston is a very hard team to guard. We made a lot of big stops when we needed to. I felt fortunate to get out of here with a win as Houston always gives us problems."
Tony Parker led the Spurs with 21 points and six assists. Manu Ginobili added 19 points, three assists and three steals, while seven other players also finished in double figures for Gregg Popovich’s team. San Antonio have now won three games in a row since
getting thrashed at home against the Los Angeles Lakers less than a week ago.
The Rockets were led by their star shooting guard, Kevin Martin. Martin scored 28 points on a 9-of-23 shooting, including 12 in the third quarter. Kyle Lowry chipped in with 13 points and nine assists, while Courtney Lee finished with 16 points and seven
rebounds off the bench.
The game, which eventually turned out to be a humdinger wasn’t so close to start with, as the Spurs pounced on the cold shooting and voids in the Houston defence to race to a 36-25 lead in the first quarter. Manu Ginobili and Parker led the Spurs with eight
points each during that period.
The Houston offence came alive in the second quarter and got the Rockets to within five points twice, deep into the second quarter. The Spurs however, responded with a 9-2 run, as they went into the break leading by 59-49.
The Rockets came out in the second half with all guns blazing. Chase Budinger nailed a three-point shot to set the tone early. In the next five minutes, Kevin Martin scored nine points for his team, capped by a three-pointer which tied the scores at 65 each.
On Houston's next possession, Grant Hill jammed the rim to give the home team a 66-65 lead.
The Spurs responded immediately though. Parker made two consecutive layups to again give San Antonio the lead. That was followed with by a 7-2 run to give the Spurs an 81-74 advantage with 51 seconds left in the frame. Houston had the final say though, as
they reeled off an eight-point unanswered run to head into the fourth quarter with an 82-81 lead.
What followed was a deadlock, during which the game was tied six times and the lead changed hands thrice. In the end, it all came down to the last 70 seconds of the game, as the Spurs held on for a 115-107 win.
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