Tony Parker Scores 23 Points, Tim Duncan Adds 22 As Spurs Rout Bulls 102-80 to End 4-Game Skid
By RICK GANO | Associated Press | Mar 20, 08 9:38 PM CDT in
Sports
Tony Parker scored 23 points and Tim Duncan had 22 to go with 10 rebounds Thursday night as the San Antonio Spurs ended a four-game losing streak with a 102-80 rout of the Chicago Bulls.
The defending NBA champs avoided their first five-game losing streak since the 1996-97 season _ the one before Duncan's rookie year. And they had such an easy time of it that Duncan and Parker were able to rest in the fourth quarter.
Luol Deng led the sagging Bulls with 18 points and Drew Gooden added 16 as Chicago fell 14 games under .500.
Parker had 10 points in the second quarter when San Antonio took control.
His quickness combined with Duncan's steady play on the inside and strong defense sent the Spurs on a 22-4 run that opened up a 53-33 lead late in the half. The Bulls shot only 6-for-17 in the second quarter while the Spurs were 13-for-22 to lead 55-37 at the half as Duncan scored 15 and Parker 14.
Parker continued to race through the Bulls' defense in the third quarter and when the lead reached 74-47, boos poured out from the United Center.
Trailing by as many as 28, the Bulls staged a mini-rally to get within 19, but the Spurs got a 3-pointer from Ime Udoka for an 86-64 lead after three.
Bruce Bowen's 3-pointer starting the fourth brought it back to 25 and moments later the boos started anew.
Chicago shot just 38 percent and had 16 turnovers in the miserable performance.
Notes:@ Noting the balance of the Western Conference, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said before the game: "We're two game out of first and we're two games out of eighth." With the conference so close, he predicted that home-court advantage would not be as big a factor in the playoffs. "The first seed could be the eighth and the eighth seed is as good as the first and that's no exaggeration," he said. "None of us is better than the other. So the seeds are really irrelevant this season more than any other time." ...The Bulls played without starting guard Kirk Hinrich, who sprained his right ankle two nights ago against the Nets. ... Duncan shot 9-for-14 from the field.
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