Sixers Drop Second Leg Of Texas Two Step
SAN ANTONIO (CBS/AP) -- One day after their loss to the Dallas Mavericks, the Philadelphia 76ers dropped their third consecutive game on Saturday night, a 116-93 defeat at the hands of Tony Parker and the San Antonio Spurs.
Just over a week after signing a four-year contract extension, Parker showed the Spurs why he is well worth the move. The point guard scored 24 points and capped a big surge in the first quarter that propelled the Spurs to their sixth win in a row.
"I thought it might have been his best game," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "When you combine the aggressiveness on the offensive and the attention to detail and tenacity defensively against some good scoring guards, I thought he did a fine job."
Manu Ginobili added 18 points for the Spurs, who have already surpassed their longest winning streak from last season. All six of these victories have come against teams that were at .500 or under.
Parker scored on a fast break that finished off a 16-0 spree. The Spurs scored a season-high 39 points in the opening period and led the rest of the way. Parker shot 10-for-13 overall and had seven assists.
Jrue Holiday led the 76ers with 16 points. Lou Williams, playing for the second night in a row despite an injured left shoulder, added 13.
"I felt OK," Williams said. "It wasn't that bad, I'm just going to deal with some soreness. I'm going to continue to play hard and help as best I can."
Andre Iguodala started in his second straight game after sitting out the previous two with a strained Achilles' tendon. The small forward scored 10 points in 20 minutes for the Sixers.
DeJuan Blair added 13 points and 12 rebounds for San Antonio. George Hill had 16 points, Richard Jefferson contributed 10 and Tim Duncan finished with seven points, six rebounds and a season-high five assists in 24 minutes.
"We need help from everybody," Ginobili said. "These kind of games are important for the guys that don't play much to get confident and to play our system."
Spurs center/forward Matt Bonner returned after missing the last six games with an ankle sprain he sustained in the season opener. He entered the game with 5:52 left in the third quarter and scored his first points, a 3-pointer from the corner, nearly two minutes later.
Bonner played 15 minutes, finishing with six points and five rebounds.
The Spurs were without rookie James Anderson, who is expected to miss six weeks with a stress fracture. The Oklahoma State product is 10 of 20 on 3-pointers this season.
"They hit us early attacking that basket," said Elton Brand, who had eight points. "Ginobili and Parker were wreaking havoc. Not just on our guards, you know, it's a team effort. If the guards can't stop them, the bigs have got to step up and stop them."
Notes: The Spurs have won seven straight at home against the
76ers since 2004. ... San Antonio scored 35 fast-break points, 19 more than Philadelphia, and outscored the Sixers 52-38 in the paint.
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