SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs got back on track but quickly turned their attention to point guard Tony Parker, their leading scorer and assist man who sprained his left ankle and is likely to miss several games.
DeJuan Blair paced eight players in double figures with 16 points and the Spurs racked up 41 assists in a 130-102 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night. San Antonio got back to its winning ways, two nights after falling to Phoenix for its first home loss in 18 games.
Despite maintaining the league’s best record with a methodical inside-outside game that kept the Kings on their heels, the focus after the game was the injury to Parker.
“He’ll be out a while; it’s a good one,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He’s been a stalwart for us. He’s having an All-Star season. As I’ve said, he’s playing better than any other point guard in the league consistently through the year. We will miss him.”
Parker left with 13 points and seven assists. Danny Green had 15 and Kawhi Leonard and Tiago Splitter each had 14 points. Manu Ginobili set a team record with 15 assists off the bench.
Marcus Thornton led all scorers with 25 and Isaiah Thomas added 18 for the Kings.
Parker, who closed out February averaging 26.1 points and 8.3 assists and shooting 54 percent from the field, drove straight down the lane for a scooping layup with 4:40 left in the third period. As he twisted his body in midair to shield off Thomas, who was defending on the play, Parker came down on his left ankle and rolled it outward.
He dropped to the ground grabbing the ankle while play continued at the other end of the court. He was eventually helped off the court, straight to the locker room and he did not return.
The Spurs have been accustomed to adjusting to injuries all season. Leonard missed 18 games with tendinitis in the knee; Stephen Jackson missed 14 games with a broken finger on his right hand and Ginobili has missed 12 games with a string of various injuries.
“Obviously a huge loss, he’s been our leader all year long,” San Antonio All-Star forward Tim Duncan said. “We’ve played with all different kinds of people throughout this year. We’re going to rally. Pop is going to change some lineups.”
Whatever doubts the Spurs will have in the coming days were temporarily calmed with the ball movement they used to push the Kings into submission. San Antonio’s 41 assists came on 51 baskets.
“Yeah, it just happened,” Ginobili said of his 15 assists. “In the first half, it started happening. And in the second half, we were just moving the ball really well.”
Heat 98, Grizzlies 91
In Miami, Dwyane Wade scored 22 points, LeBron James shook off his worst shooting night of the season to hit a key 3-pointer in the final half-minute, and the Heat extended their winning streak to 13 games by beating Memphis.
James scored 18 points on a season-worst 4-for-14 shooting, plus added 10 assists and eight rebounds.
Clippers 105, Cavaliers 89
In Cleveland, Jamal Crawford scored 24 points, converting a four-point play and making another 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, and Chris Paul had 15 assists as Los Angeles finally switched on the after-burners in the final minutes and beat the Cavaliers for its first win in Cleveland since 2002.
The Clippers had lost 10 straight at Quicken Loans Arena, but sparked by Crawford’s 37th career four-point play, pushed aside the Cavs for their fourth win in a row.
Celtics 94, Warriors 86
In Boston, Paul Pierce had 26 points, Jeff Green scored 14 of his 18 in the second half and the Celtics overcame foul trouble and some erratic free-throw shooting to beat Golden State.
Warriors guard Stephen Curry, coming off a 54-point performance Wednesday in a loss at New York, was held to 25 on 6-of-22 shooting.
Mavericks 98, Nets 90
In New York, Dirk Nowitzki and former Nets guard Vince Carter each scored 20 points, and Dallas avoided another late collapse.
Hornets 100, Pistons 95
In New Orleans, Greivis Vasquez capped a 25-point, nine-assist performance by hitting a running floater off the backboard with 12 seconds left, and the hosts snapped a two-game skid.
Pacers 93, Raptors 81
In Toronto, Paul George had 22 points and 10 rebounds, David West had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Indiana beat the Raptors.
Jazz 98, Bobcats 68
In Salt Lake City, Enes Kanter had career highs with 23 points and 22 rebounds in a rare start, helping Utah crush Charlotte to snap a three-game losing streak.
Knicks 96, Wizards 88
In Washington, Carmelo Anthony scored 30 points, Raymond Felton added 23, J.R. Smith chipped in with 13 points and 12 rebounds, and New York used some strong defense to beat the Wizards.
Rockets 118, Magic 110
In Orlando, James Harden had 24 points, and Chandler Parsons and Carlos Delfino added 21 apiece as Houston rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Magic.
Suns 92, Hawks 87
In Phoenix, Marcus Morris matched his career high with four 3s, in five attempts, and scored 16 points in his fifth game with the Suns, helping them win their third in a row.
Nuggets 105, Thunder 103
In Denver, Wilson Chandler tied his career high with 35 points and Ty Lawson’s jumper with 0.2 seconds left lifted the Nuggets to a narrow triumph over Oklahoma City.
Russell Westbrook scored a season-high 38 points and Durant had 25 for the Thunder, who have lost five of their last six road games.
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