Spurs 104, Celtics 93
SAN ANTONIO -- Point guard Tony Parker had 19 points and five assists to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 104-93 win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night, extending their win streak to eight games.
The Spurs (10-1), coming off a rare four days of rest, had all five starters score in double figures. Forward Kawhi Leonard scored 16, forward Tim Duncan added 13, forward Boris Diaw 12, guard Danny Green 11 and center Tiago Splitter 11 (with 10 rebounds).
Boston's big three -- guard Avery Bradley and forwards Jared Sullinger and Jeff Green -- all had 19 points. Guard Jordan Crawford chipped in 12 as Boston (4-9) lost for the fifth straight time.
It was a back-and-forth first half that featured 10 lead changes and 14 ties. Crawford's layup with 26 seconds left deadlocked the score at 48 going into the locker room.
San Antonio pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring the Celtics 32-22. Leonard had 12 points as the Spurs took an 80-70 lead into the fourth quarter.
When guard Marco Belinelli connected on a 3-pointer with 5:25 left in the fourth, San Antonio had a 19-point lead, 100-81.
Boston hit 11 of 12 free throws (92 percent) but had trouble with the Spurs' pressure defense, which forced 25 points on 17 turnovers. San Antonio gave up just two points on 11 turnovers.
Duncan's offensive woes continued. He hit his first two field goals, then was 1 of 9 for the rest of the half. He finished 3 of 13 with nine rebounds, but his frustration grew as he picked up a technical foul in the third quarter arguing a non-call.
Parker picked up the slack with 11 first-half points, and the bench contributed 34 points.
Green had 11 first-half points and Sullinger added 10 points and 12 rebounds for Boston, which was coming off a 109-85 loss to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night.
Bradley had nine first-quarter points on four buckets to give the Celtics a 25-22 lead. Bradley picked up his third foul midway through the second quarter and sat the rest of the way.
NOTES: The Spurs' Big Three -- F Tim Duncan, G Tony Parker and G Manu Ginobili -- are climbing the charts for most wins by a trio. They have 464, which is fourth all-time. At the top of the list are Boston F Larry Bird, C Robert Parish and F Kevin McHale, who had 540 wins. ... The Celtics played their third of 20 back-to-back games this season. ... In two games against Boston last season, Parker averaged 24.0 points and 7.0 assists. ... Celtics F Jared Sullinger and C/F Kelly Olynyk were inserted in the starting lineup in place of F Brandon Bass and C Vitor Faverani.
