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Thursday, Dec. 30 9:00pm ET
Duncan leads Spurs with 32 points | |||||
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 GAME FLOW
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- San Antonio Spurs coach Greg Popovich has stopped trying to find different ways to describe Tim Duncan. A star, after all, is a star. Duncan was special once again, scoring 32 points and pulling down 15 rebounds in leading the Spurs to a 98-88 win over the Vancouver Grizzlies on Thursday night. In 31 games this season, Duncan has led the Spurs in scoring 23 times and in rebounding 24 times. "It's that way with anybody who's a star in the league," said Popovich. "These guys really have special talents. But I think Tim is different. He really has a feel for the game, and it's an all-around game. ... It makes him special. David Robinson added 19 points and 13 rebounds while Terry Porter scored 14 points off the bench as the Spurs beat the Grizzlies for the ninth straight time. San Antonio also managed to win back-to-back road games for the first time since Dec. 2. Shareef Abdur-Rahim scored 24 points and added seven rebounds, while Mike Bibby scored 21 and added 11 assists as the Grizzlies lost their fourth straight. Duncan was sharp right from the beginning. With the Spurs missing their first seven shots, Duncan stepped in and sank six straight baskets to cut the Grizzlies' lead to 13-12. The Spurs then took control down the second-quarter stretch when Robinson scored six points to spark an 11-1 run, putting San Antonio ahead 47-33. Vancouver didn't help its cause, going 5-for-21 from the field in being outscored 28-13 in the second quarter. After falling behind 67-51 on Jaren Jackson's layup with 3:42 left in the third quarter, the Grizzlies mounted a comeback bid. A 3-point basket by Dennis Scott and Bibby's two free throws 90 seconds into the fourth quarter capped an 18-7 run that cut San Antonio's lead to 74-68. Ahead 85-76, Duncan sealed the victory hitting a 15-foot jumper and then putting back a Porter miss over a 25-second span to give the Spurs an 89-76 edge with five minutes left. "I needed to be aggressive," said Duncan. "The last couple of games I haven't been shooting really well. I wanted to come in here and really get my feel back." Duncan has had plenty of success against the Grizzlies. Earlier this month, Duncan scored a career-high 42 points in the Spurs' 99-91 win over Vancouver. The Grizzlies have had trouble in the second quarter, coming off Wednesday's 101-90 loss at Utah in which they were outscored 25-18 in the second frame. "We need to play all four quarters and we'll be in good shape," said Bibby, whose game has flourished since Lionel Hollins took over for Brian Hill, who was fired on Dec. 16. Added Hollins, whose record fell to 2-5: "(We) haven't done all that's necessary to win. And that's where we're trying to get to."
Game notes | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard San Antonio Clubhouse Vancouver Clubhouse RECAPS Indiana 109 Charlotte 99
San Antonio 98
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