NBA Game Summary - San Antonio at Indiana
(Friday, November 23rd)
Final Score: San Antonio 104, Indiana 97
Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Tony Parker put home a season-high 33
points and handed out 10 assists as the San Antonio Spurs continued their
recent dominance over the Indiana Pacers with a 104-97 victory on Friday at
Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Tim Duncan netted 22 points and pulled down 17 rebounds, while Manu Ginobili
added 19 points off the bench for the Spurs, who have not lost to Indiana
since April 1, 2007, a span of 11 consecutive games. Danny Green and Gary Neal
contributed nine and eight points, respectively, in the triumph.
"It was a weird game on both ends," Duncan said. "Both teams made runs, but we
made enough buckets down the stretch to find a way to win."
David West netted 22 points and grabbed eight boards, while Paul George
contributed 15 points for the Pacers, who had a brief two-game winning streak
snapped. George Hill and Roy Hibbert donated 11 and 10 points, respectively,
in the setback.
Holding a four-point lead going into the fourth, the Pacers quickly built
their lead back to 11 with a 9-2 run to open the frame. But the veteran Spurs
did not panic and worked their way back into the game before finally taking
the lead thanks to a Parker 19-footer with 3:57 to play, putting an
exclamation point on a 22-9 run.
Following Parker's go-ahead bucket, Hibbert missed a 7-footer. Duncan buried a
deep deuce on the other end, and added a layup on the Spurs' next touch off a
gorgeous look from Boris Diaw to widen the lead to 101-95 with 2:27 left.
Parker added a pair of free throws with just over a minute to go to ice the
victory for the Spurs.
"It just slipped away from us," West said. "Not being able to contain their
three main guns, we didn't make them go to those other guys and force those
other guys to beat us. We allowed their three main guys to beat us."
The Spurs kept the Pacers at arm's length for most of the first quarter,
holding a 22-14 lead with less than five minutes to play in the opening
session.
The Pacers, though, made it a 26-23 game on a D.J. Augustine trey with less
than a minute to go, which capped 9-4 push. Ian Mahinmi ended the quarter with
an 18-footer for Indiana, cutting the Spurs' lead to 28-25 after 12 minutes of
play.
A deep three by Green early in the second quarter gave the Pacers the lead
during a 9-0 surge which saw the home side push its margin to 39-32 with 7:21
left.
The Spurs roared back with a 12-4 outburst, grabbing a 44-43 lead with 3:44 to
play in the half. George capped the second stanza with a corner 3-pointer to
make it 52-48 for Indiana at halftime.
Indiana broke it open in the third quarter, starting the frame with an 18-5
surge to build the lead to 70-53 with 6:35 left.
But, the Spurs answered with a big run of their own, closing the quarter on a
20-7 spurt to cut the deficit to just four heading into the fourth.
Game Notes
San Antonio has won five straight in Indiana ... The Spurs have won 14 of the
last 15 meetings between the sides ... Green has made at least one 3-pointer
in 31 consecutive games ... The game featured four ties and four lead changes
... San Antonio shot 49.4 percent from the floor and 20-of-22 from the free
throw line ... The Pacers shot 41.3 percent from the field, but struggled from
the stripe, hitting just 14-of-21 attempts.
11/24 00:22:33 ET

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