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San Antonio Spurs 112, New Orleans Hornets 89
San Antonio, TX Mar. 14 / Brett Dvorak --
It takes some killer B’s and a return from Timmy D. for the Spurs to sting the Hornets. Beno Udrih’s career high 25 points
paces four Spurs in double figures as the Spurs blow out the Hornets 112-89.
Not bad for your first career start. After a solid first half, Udrih and the Spurs came out on fire to start the third
quarter. Udrih scored twelve points during a 32-12 run to start the second half that turned a twenty-point halftime lead
into a forty-point lead (88-48). The Spurs opened the quarter by making eleven of their first twelve shots, including a
perfect five of five on three point attempts.
It was a true team effort as Bruce Bowen and Brent Barry combined for 35 points, including six of the Spurs thirteen three
pointers. All the open looks were made possible by the return of Tim Duncan, who after stting out the last two games, came
back to score 18 points and grab 13 rebounds in just twenty-six minutes of work.
"I felt really good, actually," Duncan said when asked about his first game back. "Beno took open shots. Brent did the same
thing. Everyone shared the ball real well."
Playing without his starting backcourt, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich decided to start Udrih and Barry in place of the injured
Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Beno and Barry were given one main objective; get the ball to Duncan, and let the offense run
through him. After the Spurs jumped out to a 7-0 lead, a basket by P.J. Brown would be as close as New Orleans would get the
rest of the night.
That objective was reached as Duncan scored eight points in the quarter. In fact, when Duncan took his first rest of the
evening, he had scored as many points as the Hornets team. He wasn’t alone though six Spurs found the scoring column,
including seven from Bowen.
New Orleans, who has won just three games on the road all season, started the game missing nine of their first ten shots,
falling behind 15-2, and 25-12 after twelve minutes.
San Antonio continued to build on its lead throughout the second quarter. Reserve Nazr Mohammed came off the bench to score
eight points and block a couple of shots. Mohammed was one of five Spurs to score at least eight points in the half (Duncan
14, Bowen 10, Barry 9, and Udrih 8 points). It seemed as if New Orleans was playing defense one pass to late the entire
night. San Antonio shot 49% for the half, made ten of twelve free throws, and out rebounded the Hornets 27-13. Add those
numbers up, and the sum was a twenty-point Spurs lead (56-36) at the break.
Not everyone was happy though. Popovich was not pleased with the defensive effort in the second quarter, explaining that
there were too many guys playing out of position and that they were continuing to turn the ball (8 times) over more than he
would like.
Whatever he told the team must have lit a fire under them because they could do no wrong once the quarter began. The Spurs
opened the quarter scoring the first five points, and when Udrih finished a 9-0 run with back to back three pointers, the
Spurs lead had ballooned to thirty (69-39) in less then four minutes, forcing Hornets coach Byron Scott to call a timeout.
It would not be the final 9-0 run of the quarter. Two other times the Spurs made nine points run, the final one coming on a
Robert Horry three pointer from the top of the key that gave the home team an 88-48 lead, and Popovich a reason to empty his
bench with 3:18 to play in the quarter.
Pop talked about the play of his bench; “It's real important for those guys to do that (play well), because that's the
depth we talk about and haven't seen for about a month."
The lone bright spot for New Orleans was former Spur Speedy Claxton who came off the bench to score 16 points, including
back to back baskets that sparked a 14-4 run that covered the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth. New
Orleans would get no closer then the final margin of twenty-three points.
Udrih scored his career high on 9 of 13 shooting and was perfect on all three of his three point attempts. He also added
four assists, and four rebounds. Duncan (18 points and 13 rebounds), Bowen (18 points), and Barry (17 points and 7 assists)
joined the rookie in double figures.
New Orleans had six players in double figures, led by Jackson Vroman’s 17 points. Claxton chipped in 16 points; Bostjan
Nachbar added 12 points, Casey Jacobson 11 points, while Lee Nailon and P.J. Brown had 10 points each.
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