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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The San Antonio Spurs, just two seasons
removed from an NBA title, feel they aren't getting the respect
they deserve despite having the third-best record in the Western
Conference.
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| Duncan |
"I really don't care. We don't worry about that," Tim Duncan
said Monday night after the Spurs trounced the Los Angeles Clippers
96-67 for their fourth straight victory. They remained a half-game
behind Utah in the Midwest Division.
"We dropped four in a row before we won these four, and
everybody counts us out every week," said Duncan, who scored 16
points before relaxing through most of the fourth quarter. "But it
doesn't matter what everybody thinks about whether we're going to
win or lose. When it all comes down to the end, we feel we're going
to be the team to beat."
The Clippers shot only 35 percent from the field against the
undermanned Spurs, who have held each of their last four opponents
under 40 percent. Lamar Odom had 15 points for the Clippers, who
absorbed their eighth consecutive loss -- their 11th straight to the
Spurs -- and had their lowest point total of the season.
"They played real good defense on us," Eric Piatkowski said
after the Clippers suffered their most lopsided home loss ever to
the Spurs. "They didn't score that much, but they were stopping us
on the other side."
David Robinson, whose 71 points against the Clippers on the
final day of the 1993-94 season earned him his only NBA scoring
title, had 10 points and six rebounds.
Derek Anderson, facing the Clippers for the first time since
leaving them as a free agent at the end of last season, finished
with nine points. Had he scored one more point, it would have been
the first time all season that every member of San Antonio's
starting lineup reached double figures.
Duncan, named NBA player of the week earlier Monday, paced the
Spurs to a 49-28 halftime lead with 12 points and six rebounds.
It was the lowest-scoring half of the season for the Clippers,
who failed to make a basket in the final 3½ minutes of the second
quarter and never got closer than 17 points the rest of the way.
"They've been playing really well in a lot of their games, but
we've been playing real good basketball lately," Robinson said.
"We went into Sacramento and Utah and played great, so I knew
tonight we'd come out with a lot of energy and put a lot of
pressure on them early."
The Spurs, short-handed because of injuries to Avery Johnson,
Sean Elliott, Samaki Walker, Antonio Daniels and rookie Ira Newble,
capped a game-opening 22-6 run with 16 straight points and held the
Clippers without a field goal for almost seven minutes.
"We've just gotten to the point where we understand what we
need to do," Duncan said. "Defensively, we're starting to play a
lot better. We're starting to understand our philosophy and
everybody's on the same page. That's going to continue to happen,
and we're going to keep winning."
Clippers No.1 draft pick Darius Miles, who had the unenviable
assignment of guarding Duncan after getting outscored 33-16
Saturday night by Sacramento All-Star Chris Webber, picked up his
third foul with 9½ minutes left in the second quarter and finished
with six points.
Game notes
The teams face each other again Wednesday night in San
Antonio, with the Clippers hoping to beat the Spurs for the first
time since a 110-96 overtime victory on Dec. 4, 1997 at the L.A.
Sports Arena. The home-and-home set is the only one this season for
either club. ... Clippers F Corey Maggette was activated after
missing five games because of a concussion, and G Earl Boykins was
placed on the injured list because of plantar fasciitis in his left
foot. ... Duncan has received player-of-the-week honors the last
five times the award has gone to a member of the Spurs. Prior to
that, Robinson took the honors 15 of the 16 times it went to one of
the Spurs since Feb. 29, 1990 -- with Elliott the only exception.
... The Clippers/Buffalo Braves franchise has had double-digit
losing streaks against 13 different teams, which will increase to
14 if they lose to Cleveland on Feb. 21.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
San Antonio Clubhouse
LA Clippers Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 99
Detroit 87
Washington 95
Cleveland 89
Phoenix 95
Atlanta 82
Minnesota 99
Milwaukee 96
Utah 97
Denver 91
Vancouver 97
New Jersey 86
Charlotte 93
Golden State 85
San Antonio 96
LA Clippers 67
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