Spurs return home and beat Bobcats 85-65
SAN ANTONIO - Manu Ginobili scored 18 points to lead the San Antonio Spurs to an 85-65 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday night in the defending NBA champions’ first home game in more than three weeks.
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Michael Finley scored 14 points and Ime Udoka added 12 points and 10 rebounds in the Spurs’ third straight victory. Tim Duncan shot poorly, going just 2-of-12 from the field, but he got five blocks and 15 rebounds.
Raymond Felton led Charlotte with 19 points, Jason Richardson added 13 and Nazr Mohammed scored 12.
The Spurs were sloppy early, committing 18 turnovers in the first three quarters and 21 in the game. But they outscored Charlotte 31-16 in the decisive fourth period.
Still, it was clearly good to be home, where the Spurs have lost just five games this season. Tuesday was the team’s first home game since going on a three-week, nine-game road trip.
The Spurs went 6-3 on the trip, an annual event that happens when the rodeo rolls into town and takes over the AT&T Center.
After a slow first half, both teams picked up the pace in the third quarter. A quick Spurs burst gave them a 44-34 lead off recent addition Damon Stoudamire’s 3-pointer with 9:38 to play in the period.
But the Bobcats answered right back with one of the night’s highlights: Stoudamire turned over the ball, and Felton dished out a nifty over-the-back-pass to Richardson for a slam dunk that sent Ginobili skidding to the floor.
Felton followed with a 3 — after the Spurs turned over the ball yet again — to bring Charlotte within 44-39 with 6:28 to go.
The Spurs stopped the sloppiness and put together a modest run to open the fourth, a 67-55 lead on Bruce Bowen’s corner 3-pointer with 8:18 on the clock. Duncan had three blocks in the last quarter.
Bowen hit another 3, this time from the wing, with 5:36 to play to put San Antonio up by 18 points. The Spurs increased their advantage to as many as 23.
Charlotte led 18-13 after one, the Spurs’ lowest-scoring first quarter of the season. They managed to take a 36-32 halftime lead.
Notes:@ Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said pregame that he might let G Tony Parker play a few minutes, but Parker instead sat out his ninth straight game with an inflamed left ankle. … Felton got a technical foul in the third quarter, and Charlotte’s Jeff McInnis picked one up in the first quarter. … The Spurs celebrated the franchise’s 35th anniversary with a halftime tribute. … The Spurs won the season series 2-0. … Charlotte’s 65 points were the fewest scored by a Spurs opponent this season.
