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San Antonio Spurs 80, Los Angeles Clippers 79
San Antonio, TX Jan. 19 / Brett Dvorak --
With few guys able to make shots, Tony Parker hit the biggest one of the night. Parker capped off a 25-point performance on
a driving lay up with 7.8 seconds to play, helping the Spurs slip by the Clippers 80-79.
The play was for Manu Ginobili to run pick and roll with Tim Duncan and see what developed. That development was Parker in
the corner lining up a three pointer, but with Corey Maggette running at him, Parker faked the shot and blew by Maggette.
Next in his path was the hard charging Chris Kaman. The seven footer moved ever so slightly, allowing Parker to get to the
basket and lay a shot high off the glass and through the net, giving the Spurs the lead.
"I moved at the last second," said a dejected Kaman, who bumped Parker on the shot. "It was a call on my part, it wasn't
really a mistake. It was just unfortunate he got the shot off."
Parker of course saw things a little differently; “I wanted to shoot the three, but they came so fast that I pump-faked and
it was wide open.” On beating Kaman he said; "He had no chance."
When Beno Udrih connected on a jump shot with 8:56 to play, the Spurs were up 71-60 and few thought that the game would come
down to a Parker lay up, but thanks to an improved Clipper defense, the Spurs went cold. Eleven consecutive misses allowed
Kaman and company to go on an 11-0 run. A run that would have been much more if not for four free throws from Manu Ginobili,
who despite a sore thigh, continually threw himself into the heart of an aggressive Clippers defense.
Maggette and Kaman combined for all eleven points of the run. When the Clipper’s best free throw shooter Bobby Simmons made
both free throws the Spurs found themselves down 79-78 with nineteen seconds to play. It was the completion of a 17-4 run
that lasted over eight minutes. During that time the Spurs failed to connect from the field. That was until Parker scored
his only points of the fourth quarter.
Parker did all of his scoring in the third quarter. After a quick Clipper basket, the Spurs found themselves down 43-40, but
that’s when Parker went to work. Driving the lane with fearless abandon, TP scored seven consecutive points in just over
two minutes of play to give the Spurs a 47-43 lead.
In what could only be described as a highly physical game, L.A. coach Mike Dunleavy watched as his team began to fold under
the pressure that Parker applied. Looking for any way to stop momentum, Dunleavy picked up a technical foul arguing a
non-call against Kaman.
It seemed as if nothing could stop Parker, who actually outscored the Clippers 15-14 in the third quarter, but this is a new
era of Clipper basketball, and this team didn’t quit.
“I thought we executed well down the stretch on offense and on defense on a night when we could have packed it in because
we couldn’t make a shot,” Popovich said. “Guys busted their butts all night long and ended up grinding it out and that’s
always a good win.”
That could be attributed to the solid play of the Clippers frontcourt. Kaman and Elton Brand were monsters on the board,
combining to finish with 32 rebounds. The Spurs as a team managed to grab just 39 rebounds. Popovich spoke highly of the
two; “Kaman and Brand do that every night against everybody. We wish we would have done a better job, but they got us too
and that kept them in the game.”
They were in the game thanks in part to their inability to keep the Clippers off the glass. L.A. managed nine offensive
rebounds in the opening half, and out rebounded the Spurs 26-16. That alone offset the fact the Clippers were shooting in
the low thirties. San Antonio went one shot and done on numerous occasions.
It looked like it wouldn’t be a contest early on. After six quick points from Parker, Duncan took over the scoring
responsibilities, netting nine in the quarter, but the Spurs managed to lead just 21-19 after one quarter. Duncan’s
dominance showed on the stat sheet as the Spurs managed eighteen points in the paint in the quarter.
Nine Spurs scored in the half, while the Clippers relied on Maggette (11 points) and Kaman (10 points and 9 rebounds) to
give the visitors the lead (41-40).
Ppopovich lamented the Spurs need to rebound, especially during their upcoming three game road trip that starts Friday night
in Phoenix; “We'll have to hit the boards and shoot the ball better than we did tonight if we want to win those games."
After Parker’s shot, the Clippers had one last chance, getting the ball to Brand in the low post. Brand made a spin on
Duncan, but was unable to shake away from him, settling on a jumper from in the paint that hit the front of the rim.
Ginobili grabbed the rebound and dribbled out the final few seconds, securing the win, the Spurs twenty-first in twenty-two
home games this season.
"I had a good look at it ... I just needed to make the play," said Brand. "It was good defense (by Duncan), but I thought I
had a chance."
In addition to his 25 points, Parker notched 7 assists as well. Joining him in double figures was Ginobili (13 points,
including seven of seven from the free throw line), Duncan (12 points and 14 rebounds), and Barry (10 points). Kaman led the
Clippers with 21 points and 14 rebounds while Maggette chipped in 20 points, and Brand, despite a four of eighteen night
from the floor, finished with 14 points and a game high 18 rebounds.
Now it’s on the road again, with stops in Phoenix, Portland, and Sacramento, but the Spurs will be bringing the best record
in the NBA with them. Ginobili for one is excited about going on the road; “This is going to be a huge trip for us. This
will let us know where we are and for us to get that road winning streak that we always like this time of year.
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