NBA -- Spurs dispatch Wolves, improve home record to 16-2
By Homer D. Sayson
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 15 Jan 2013
CHICAGO -- At 29-11, the San Antonio Spurs rank only third overall in the NBA standings behind powerhouse 29-8 Oklahoma City Thunder and the league's flavor of the season, the 28-9 Los Angeles Clippers.
But when it comes to taking care of business at their homefloor, nobody does it better than the San Antonio Spurs.
Leading by just a shaky five points, 78-73 with still 11:46 left in the final quarter, the Spurs went full throttle and demolished the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves - 106-88 - Sunday night at the AT&T Center.
The impressive win raised San Antonio's home record to 16-2, the best in the NBA percentage-wise. Although the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Miami Heat have 18 and 16 home wins respectively, they each have lost thrice in their buildings. .
Tony Parker led the way with 20 points and six assists while Gary Neal had 15 off the bench, going 3-fo-3 from 3-point range. Tim Duncan did a little bit of everything -- 12 points, nine rebounds, seven blocks, five assists and three steals -- and Manu Ginobili dropped 12 points.
"They just kept coming at me. I'm just trying to bring some energy back and get my rhythm back. I've been in a slump lately and I'm trying to fight my way out of it," Duncan told ESPN.com of his recent struggles.
Playing without their superstar Kevin Love (out with a broken hand), the Timberwolves gave everything they had and trailed only by 55-50 at the halftime break and 78-71 entering the fourth quarter.
But it was too much San Antonio, which shot 56.2 percent from the field on 45-of-80 field goals. The Spurs also controlled the boards, 43-38, and they had way more assists than the Wolves, 31-23.
J.J. Barea had 15 points for the Timberwolves, who fell to 16-18, 10th in Western Conference and 2 1/2 games behind the Portland Trail Blazers for the 8th and last playoffs berth. (HDS)
PHOTO: The Spurs' Big Three -- Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan -- combined for 44 points among them as San Antonio easily beat Minnesota, 106-88, at the AT@T Center.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Homer D. Sayson.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 15 SEPTEMBER 2025: Crawford Snatches Canelo's Undisputed Crown at 168 Lbs; Inoue Defeats Akhmadliev to Retain 4 Superbantam Belts; Crocker Outpoints Donovan
By Eric Armit, Wed, 17 Sep 2025TICKET NEWS: EUBANK JR-BENN II ON SALE FROM THIS WEDNESDAY
Wed, 17 Sep 2025“Night of Champions” Returns to Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando on September 19
Wed, 17 Sep 2025Canelo-Crawford: The Consolidation of Boxing’s New Commercial Empire
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Wed, 17 Sep 2025A New Era for Boxing: Canelo vs. Crawford Shatters Global Viewership Records on Netflix
By Dong Secuya, Wed, 17 Sep 2025Crawford Not the First Lightweight to Distinguish Himself at Super Middleweight
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Wed, 17 Sep 2025Kurt Scoby and Josh Popper Headline Boxing Insider Card September 19 in Times Square
Wed, 17 Sep 2025Green and Gold 2025: Amateur Boxing’s International Gathering in Bolivia
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Wed, 17 Sep 2025Pakistan's Sameer Khan Set to Battle for UBO Youth World Title in Brico Santig’s Sep 27 Show in Thailand
By Carlos Costa, Tue, 16 Sep 2025SAMBO Pilipinas is Southern NSA of the Year 2025
By Lito delos Reyes, Tue, 16 Sep 2025Kingsley “The Black Lion” Ibeh To headline historic “Legacy Nights” Inaugural Pro Boxing event in El Salvador
Tue, 16 Sep 2025Smarts over power
By Joaquin Henson, Tue, 16 Sep 2025HALL OF FAME FLIES FLAGS AT HALF-STAFF FOR TWO-DIVISION CHAMPION RICKY HATTON
Tue, 16 Sep 2025Kazakhstan tops the medal table at the inaugural World Boxing Championships 2025 thanks to victory in the final bout of the competition
Tue, 16 Sep 2025THRILLA IN MANILA GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY 13: JOE FRAZIER’S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AS AN AMATEUR FIGHTER
By Maloney L. Samaco, Mon, 15 Sep 2025