Spurs go distance by finding long range
Web Posted: 03/07/2006 09:52 AM CST
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA030706.1D.BKNspurs.lakers.gamer.dbc1135.html
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
LOS ANGELES —
Manu Ginobili found the game he was looking for, along with his outside stroke, as did nearly everyone else wearing black Monday night.
Ginobili scored 21 points, making four 3-pointers in a game-turning 31/2-minute stretch in the third quarter, as the
Spurs beat the Los Angeles Lakers 103-96 at the Staples Center for their seventh-straight victory.
Michael Finley and
Tony Parker also had 21 apiece as the
Spurs overcame 43 points from Kobe Bryant.
Tim Duncan left midway through the fourth quarter after getting poked in the right eye but likely will try to play tonight when the
Spurs return to the Staples Center to face the Clippers.
"I think I'm going to wear a pirate patch and play like that," said Duncan, who was seeing fine despite redness in his eye. "Just for fashion more than anything."
Against the Lakers, who are slotted to draw the
Spurs to open the playoffs, Duncan looked good sans accessory. He had 18 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, and with Los Angeles' defense sagging on him, he was able to pitch the ball to shooters.
The
Spurs made a season-high 12 3-pointers, including five each from Ginobili and Finley. In the second half, the team buried 10 of 14 attempts to match a franchise mark.
Los Angeles was coming off a victory over Detroit on Saturday. The Pistons were at the end of a four-game trip, and Lakers coach Phil Jackson said his team probably caught them on the right night.
He wasn't quite as confident the Lakers would catch the
Spurs on the same.
"San Antonio looks like they're struggling a little bit physically with
Tim Duncan and Ginobili, but they're still finding a way to win those ball games," Jackson said before the game. "Whether they're going to fatigue — and a lot of times it happens to teams who have to go all the way through the playoffs — or not is still the big question. Because this is all just a dance to get to the playoffs, all these 82 games.
"For us, it's a Bataan March."
Ginobili, likewise, has trudged along the past three weeks, seeking the explosiveness he's lost from repeatedly spraining his right ankle. He entered Monday averaging 10 points on 31.7 percent shooting in the previous eight games.
Ginobili still had trouble finishing at the rim Monday, so he took his game to the perimeter, making 5 of 6 3-pointers.
"It was a great shooting night," Ginobili said. "But it doesn't mean I'm on a roll."
Bryant is, however. He didn't take his first shot until 5:30 remained in the first quarter, but he reeled off 10 points over the next 21/2 minutes as the Lakers surged ahead. His driving layup at the first-half buzzer left Los Angeles with a 45-43 lead.
That also proved to be the last of the Lakers' fun. By the time Jack Nicholson returned to his courtside seat four minutes into the second half, the
Spurs had a 58-49 lead. Ginobili made two 3-pointers in the flurry, and
Bruce Bowen had one.
Jackson signaled for a timeout, lectured the Lakers, then watched Ginobili set his feet behind the left side of the arc and drill two more 25-footers.
Ginobili's four 3-pointers were one shy of the franchise record for a quarter. The six the
Spurs made as a team in the quarter matched the record they set last season against the Lakers.
"You have to give that team some credit," Jackson said. "Three-point shooting is not an easy task."
Bryant only made it look that way. With Los Angeles turning up its full-court pressure, he scored 15 points in the game's final 5:23.
Duncan had left by then, having taken a shot in the eye from Lakers point guard Smush Parker as he was trying to get rid of the ball. He fell to the floor and remained there for a few minutes holding his head before going to the locker room.
"Pun intended, I didn't see what happened," Duncan said. "I guess he swiped up, but it was unintentional.
"As of right now, it feels pretty good. Hopefully it doesn't swell up anymore or get any blurrier throughout the night."
Parker nearly joined Duncan in the locker room a couple of minutes later when Lamar Odom clubbed him on a drive to the rim. After hitting the court with a thud, Parker bounced to his feet. He missed his free throws but helped finish off the Lakers with three long jump shots.
Each time Bryant threw in a 25-footer, Finley and Parker answered.
"That is experience and age," Bryant said of the Spurs' performance. "That is being veterans and knowing what they need to do within their system to maximize the whole."
jludden@express-news.net