Celtics Lose Third In A Row, 108-101 In San Antonio
SAN ANTONIO -- The San Antonio Spurs had an answer for every question the Boston Celtics queried on Wednesday in a 108-101 win at AT&T Center.
When the Spurs needed to stretch the floor to create some space in the lane, Pau Gasol answered the call. When they had to have some court generalship and scoring from the point in the fourth quarter, Tony Parker provided it. And when they needed a final flurry in the closing minute, Kawhi Leonard stepped to the fore.
Leonard scored 26 points, Gasol added 17 points and 13 rebounds and Parker had eight points in a two-and-a-half-minute stretch of the fourth quarter to help San Antonio withstand the Celtics' comeback attempt.
The Spurs led 100-85 with 4:31 to play but had to hold on as Boston forged a 10-2 run that cut the San Antonio advantage to 102-95. Leonard hit two free throws and a jumper to cement the win for the Spurs.
"This was a really good win for us because Boston executed better than most everybody in this league," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "Our ball movement was a little more aggressive tonight and we communicated well defensively. This was one of our better games on the defensive end of the court."
Parker ended up with 16 points, 10 in the fourth quarter, for San Antonio (20-5), while Manu Ginobili added 12 points and Dewayne Dedmon and Patty Mills scored 10 each.
Gasol had his best statistical game of the season after the team enjoyed three days off and after working with former Spurs stalwart Tim Duncan.
"(Working with Duncan) made all the difference," Gasol said with a smile. "That's all I'm going to do from now on. The three days off helped to give me fresh legs and to allow me to work on some individual stuff. We just need to keep doing what we've been doing these past few games."
Avery Bradley, who played his only year of college basketball 80 miles north in Austin at Texas, led Boston with 25 points, 16 in the first half, and 10 rebounds.
Jae Crowder scored 15 points and Al Horford added 13 for the Celtics (13-12), who lost for the third straight game and the 11th consecutive time to San Antonio. Terry Rozier poured in 12 points for Boston and Marcus Smart scored 11.
Boston's 13 turnovers led to just 13 points for the Spurs, but five of those mistakes came during a ragged stretch of the first quarter.
"San Antonio played great defense," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "We threw it to them five times in the first quarter, so to have just 13 turnovers in the game is pretty good. They really tried to get into us and push us out. We had our opportunities, but we didn't maximize them. Every time we got within striking distance, they came up with the play they needed."
The Spurs got a lift from their second unit in the final four minutes of the first quarter as San Antonio forged a 10-4 run and grabbed a 33-32 lead. Ginobili hit two 3-pointers in the surge to augment Leonard's nine points in the quarter as San Antonio outshot the Celtics 65 percent to 50 percent.
Boston answered in the second period by fashioning a 12-2 run that tied the game at 40 at the 4:39 mark, with Bradley scoring via a finger-roll layup and a ringing 3-pointer.
The Celtics moved in front at 43-42 on a free throw by Crowder with 3:34 to play in the period, but then San Antonio flipped a switch, scoring 14 of the next 16 points to assume a 56-45 lead. Rozier's running layup cut the Spurs' lead to nine points at intermission.
Bradley's 16 points led all scorers in the half while Leonard paced San Antonio with 14 points.
The Spurs led 72-59 with 3:42 to play in the third quarter before Boston unleashed a 14-2 spurt that brought it to within 74-73 at the 1:05 mark. Gasol canned a 3-pointer from the left baseline with 46.9 seconds to play in the period; and, when Bradley missed a long three at the buzzer, San Antonio took a 77-73 advantage to the fourth quarter.
The Spurs opened the final quarter with a dunk by Dedmon off an alley-oop pass from Davis Bertans and a jumper and layup from Mills. That gave the Spurs an 83-73 lead and created a huge hill for Boston to climb.
"We have to be solid and be able to execute," Bradley said. "We fought back, but they are a veteran team and they executed, finding a way to turn a two-point lead into a 10-point lead. Sometimes just getting a shot attempt up is the best thing for us, better than a turnover or a breakdown in moving the ball."
NOTES: The Spurs decided late Wednesday afternoon to hold out F LaMarcus Aldridge for rest. David Lee started instead. Aldridge's absence means San Antonio has played only 11 games with its projected starting lineup this season. ... Boston G Isaiah Thomas missed the game because of a strained groin. ... Celtics C Al Horford recorded 26 points and six blocked shots against Sacramento on Dec. 2, making him the first Boston player since Kevin McHale (April 18, 1990) to score at least 25 points and have at least six blocked shots in a game. ... The Celtics held a 20-game winning streak over the Spurs from 1980 to 1990. ... San Antonio holds the Celtics' opponent record for assists, with 49 on Feb. 14, 1979. ... The Spurs' reserves outscored or matched production of the opposing benches in 16 of the first 24 games, going a combined 839-743 against them.
