Spurs 113, Nets 92
SAN ANTONIO -- Point guard Tony Parker scored 18 points and handed out six assists, leading the San Antonio Spurs to a 113-92 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.
Parker was perfect on all nine attempts from the free-throw line during his 28-minute outing.
San Antonio, which has won its last five contests against Brooklyn by an average margin of 19.4 points, also got 15 points from forward Tim Duncan, 12 from center Tiago Splitter and 10 from guard Marco Belinelli.
Guards Manu Ginobili and Patty Mills scored 15 and 12, respectively, in reserve duty for the Spurs (25-7).
Forward Mason Plumlee came off the bench to lead Brooklyn (10-21) with 15 points and 13 rebounds, and guard Shaun Livingston also had 15 points.
Forwards Paul Pierce added 13, guard Alan Anderson had 13, and forward Mirza Teletovic scored 12 for the Nets, whose last win in San Antonio came on Jan. 22, 2002.
Parker had 16 first-half points to lead the Spurs to a 59-36 lead at the break. San Antonio made 19 of 20 free throws before halftime, 24 of 28 in the game.
San Antonio's defense, suspect of late, clamped down on the Nets and held them 33 percent shooting from the field in the first two quarters. And after giving up a 38-point third quarter to the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, San Antonio held the Nets to 36 points in the opening half.
The Spurs upped their offense in the third period, scoring 39 points. When Mills connected on a 3-pointer with seconds left in the third, San Antonio led 98-66.
With the game in hand, both coaches cleared the benches in the final quarter.
The struggling Nets scored the first bucket of the game, but that was their only lead of the game. Parker, who had seven first-quarter points, led San Antonio to a 30-20 edge after one period.
NOTES: G Tony Parker released a statement Monday through the Spurs organization concerning a gesture he made known as "quenelle" in a photograph that was taken three years ago. The gesture is considered anti-Semitic. Parker said he didn't know the meaning of the gesture and apologized. ... Nets coach Jason Kidd made a quick transition from player to coach this summer. While going through the process, he did reach out to Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. His advice to Kidd: "Stay positive." ... With San Antonio's win, Spurs F Tim Duncan has a 26-17 lead in head-to-head matchups with Nets F Kevin Garnett. In 17 minutes, Garnett scored two points Tuesday. ... Nets F Andrei Kirilenko returned to the court after a 26-game absence caused by back spasm. He scored four points in 11 minutes.
