NBA Game Summary - Washington at San Antonio
(Saturday, February 2nd)
Final Score: San Antonio 96, Washington 86
San Antonio, TX (Sports Network) - Tim Duncan's return to the lineup was
short-lived, but the San Antonio Spurs managed to record their 10th straight
victory with a 96-86 decision over the Washington Wizards on Saturday.
Duncan, who had missed the team's previous four games with a sore left knee,
suffered a sprained right ankle and a sprained left knee in the second
quarter. He was hurt when Washington forward Martell Webster rolled onto the
back of his knee as the two were battling for a rebound.
"My prayers, my heart goes out to him that everything is OK, and he has a
speedy and healthy recovery," Webster said.
Tony Parker had a double-double with 19 points and 12 assists for the Spurs,
who will begin an 18-day, nine-game road trip on Wednesday. Danny Green and
Tiago Splitter donated 15 and 12 points, respectively, while Kawhi Leonard
tallied 10 points and 11 boards.
"Yeah it's always fun to go on the rodeo road trip, usually that's when we
jell as a team," Parker said. "Usually we use the road trip to play better
basketball."
The Spurs have won 18 in a row at home.
John Wall ended with 21 points and nine assists for the Wizards, who have lost
four straight. Webster had 14 points and Chris Singleton and Nene each added
11 points apiece.
The Spurs took control early by shooting 63.2 percent from the floor in the
first quarter. The home team started the game on a 15-4 run and led by as many
as 12 in the opening stanza. Duncan and Parker each had six points in the
frame to help give San Antonio a 27-17 lead.
A poor shooting performance by the Wizards in the second quarter allowed the
Spurs to build a big lead. Despite losing Duncan, San Antonio outscored
Washington by a 24-9 margin in the stanza to take a 51-26 edge.
The Wizards, who shot 18.2 percent from the floor in the second period,
responded with 30 points in the third frame to get back in the game. Trailing
by 27, 64-37, with 7:03 remaining, Washington ended the quarter on a 19-4 run
to make it 68-56.
The visitors then started the fourth on an 11-5 spurt to make it interesting.
Trevor Ariza capped the surge with a layup to make it 73-67 with 8:37 to play.
The Spurs, however, responded with an 11-4 run to put the game away.
Game Notes
Washington has lost 13 straight at San Antonio ... The Spurs went 15-of-16
from the foul line ... Each team turned the ball over 16 times ... San Antonio
shot 48.7 percent from the field.
02/03 00:55:39 ET

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