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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- The Portland Trail Blazers weren't looking
for revenge. They were just looking to get back on the winning
track after suffering consecutive losses for just the second time this
season.
| | Bonzi Wells scores two of his 12 points. |
The Trail Blazers did just that in impressive fashion Wednesday
night as they stopped Tim Duncan's double-figure scoring streak at 61 games in a 105-95 win over the San Antonio Spurs 105-95.
"This was the performance we were looking for after two subpar
performances in Texas," Portland coach Mike Dunleavy said. "We
got a big night from Rasheed Wallace and moved the ball very well on offense."
It was the first meeting between the teams since the Spurs swept
the Blazers 4-0 in the Western Conference finals last season on
their way to the NBA title.
Portland improved its record to 29-10, second best in the NBA,
and San Antonio slipped to 25-15.
"Portland is one heck of a team, very talented," San Antonio
coach Gregg Popovich said. "Our defense played better in the
second half, but we got ourselves in a hole."
If the Blazers wanted to make a statement against the defending
champs, it came across loud and clear. Rebounding from losses in
Dallas and Houston, Portland never trailed and held a double-figure
lead most of the second half.
"We need to play with this kind of urgency every night,"
Blazers guard Damon Stoudamire said.
Wallace scored 22 points, 16 in the first half, and did the bulk
of the defensive work against Duncan, who scored just nine after
coming into the game with a 24.8 scoring average.
"We wanted to make him have to work," Dunleavy said. "You
have to track him in transition and look for him to be running the
floor. You have to get your bumps in and don't give him any easy
baskets.
Duncan hit just 2-of-9 from the field in 38 minutes and had only
six rebounds. He did not connect on his first field goal until
dropping in a jump hook from the corner with 8:06 remaining.
"I have to give a lot of credit to Portland," Duncan said. "They didn't let me get my rhythm tonight. Portland played great. It's tough to make shots when you don't have space to work with."
Spurs guard Antonio Daniels added: "They were coming at him
right from the catch. He couldn't even touch the ball."
Wallace hit seven of his first nine shots in the first half to
lead a balanced Blazers attack. Arvydas Sabonis added 17 points,
Bonzi Wells 12 and Detlef Schrempf 11.
David Robinson led the Spurs with 29 points and 12 rebounds and Avery Johnson added 18. But Johnson, the Spurs point guard, had
just one assist.
The Spurs made a late charge when they trimmed a 17-point
fourth-quarter lead to five with about three minutes left. But
after Brian Grant snared a key offensive rebound, Scottie Pippen
swished a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:57 left to
increase the lead to 98-90.
"This is just one game so I wouldn't say it was a statement
game," Pippen said. "We know they are the world champions and
have a lot of pride. They will come back hard the next time we face
them."
Game notes Duncan's 61-game double-figure streak was the third longest
in the NBA behind Kevin Garnett's 164 and 86 straight by Antonio
McDyess of Denver. Portland became only the third team to score at
least 100 points against San Antonio this season. ... Robinson
needs 16 steals to pass Alvin Robertson as the Spurs career leader
in steals. ... Portland (29-10) matched its record after 39 games
from a year ago. The Blazers close out their five-game road trip
Saturday against the Los Angeles Lakers, the only NBA team with a
better record.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Portland Clubhouse
San Antonio Clubhouse
Dunleavy: Wallace's emotions must help, not hurt
RECAPS
Boston 94 Toronto 90
Indiana 106 Milwaukee 84
Philadelphia 107 Atlanta 89
Dallas 104 Washington 86
New York 90 New Jersey 89
Charlotte 96 Chicago 86
Portland 105 San Antonio 95
Minnesota 91 Utah 88
LA Lakers 95 Cleveland 86
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