|
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME FLOW
SAN ANTONIO (AP) – The San Antonio Spurs credited an earlier
loss for their latest win.
|  | | David Robinson does his best to distract Atlanta's Lorenzen Wright from getting off a shot. |
Tim Duncan scored 26 points and David Robinson had 16 points and
15 rebounds to lead San Antonio to a 124-95 win over the Atlanta
Hawks on Saturday night.
A 105-104 loss on Dec. 28 at Chicago was in the front of the
Spurs' minds as they went in at halftime with a 58-52 lead.
"That (Chicago) game was a big one for us," Duncan said. "We
don't want to let teams hang with us."
They didn't, scoring a season-high 66 points in the second half
for the win and their highest point total of the season.
"We executed better in the second half," Spurs guard Antonio
Daniels said. "We gave up too many points in the first half. We
didn't want a repeat of the Chicago game."
The Spurs pulled away with a steady 21-7 advantage in the first
seven minutes of the third quarter, increasing their lead to 79-59.
"We've lost a lot of games in the second half this year,"
Atlanta forward Chris Crawford said. "If we could just go hard all
the time, I think we can prove to be a good team."
During the third quarter, the Spurs held Atlanta to 32 percent
(6-for-19) shooting while point guards Daniels and Avery Johnson
scored seven and six points, respectively.
"Our concentration was better in the second half," Spurs coach
Gregg Popovich said. "In the third quarter, we were mentally tough
and took care of business. We didn't let Atlanta stay in the game.
We executed well offensively."
The win moved the Spurs within one-half game of Utah at the top
of the Midwest Division. With four road games coming up in the next
week -- including visits to Portland and the Los Angeles Lakers --
the Spurs needed to beat Atlanta, which entered the night with the
NBA's fourth-worst winning percentage.
"It could have been a momentum-swinger." Daniels said. "If
you lose this one, then go on out on an important road trip."
The Spurs outrebounded Atlanta 56-31 as Robinson passed Artis
Gilmore for 35th on the NBA's all-time rebounding list with 9,163.
Gilmore, who played with the Spurs, Chicago and Boston, finished
his career with 9,161.
"It's getting to that point in the season when I'm hitting my
stride a little bit," Robinson said. "I'm feeling good, night in
and night out."
The Spurs won without Sean Elliott, who rested his sore left
leg.
"We need to get some guys healthy and get some bodies back like
Malik (Rose) and Sean," Popovich said. "We need them for the
upcoming road trip, the rest of the games and the playoffs."
Atlanta put together a strong second quarter, making 13 of 21
shots to stay within 58-52 at halftime. But the Hawks didn't have
the size to deal with Robinson and Duncan over the long haul.
"They are two of the best in the game and they did nothing to
disprove that tonight," Atlanta coach Lon Kruger said. "They were
making their shots and playing off each other. They're just
outstanding players and it makes them difficult to defend."
Toni Kukoc led the Hawks with 19 points, followed by Crawford
with 16 and Nazr Mohammed with 15.
Game notes
The Hawks haven't won in San Antonio since a 109-89 win on
Feb. 15, 1997. ... Daniels had 16 points for the Spurs. ... Duncan
has steadily rediscovered his game through the course of the season
since repairing his left knee last spring. Duncan averaged 17.8
points per game in November and that average has improved to 20.2
in December, 23.2 in January and 24.1 in February.
 Send this story to a friend
|
|
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Atlanta Clubhouse
San Antonio Clubhouse
RECAPS
LA Lakers 98
Vancouver 88
Dallas 100
Houston 95
Milwaukee 126
Chicago 122
San Antonio 124
Atlanta 95
Phoenix 97
Denver 82
Portland 122
Golden State 91
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Tim Duncan beats his defender for an easy two points.
avi: 585 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
|
