NBA PLAYOFFS : Spurs force Game 7 with rout
Posted on Friday, May 16, 2008
SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs’ big three came through. Now they have to win one on the road to keep their title defense alive.
Manu Ginobili scored 25 points, Tim Duncan had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Tony Parker added 15 points in the Spurs’ 99-80 victory over the New Orleans Hornets in Game 6 on Thursday night.
The victory forced a seventh game in the Western Conference semifinals Monday in New Orleans. Home teams are 20-1 in the second round.
Chris Paul led the Hornets with 21 points and Tyson Chandler scored 14. David West had 10 points before leaving the game early in the fourth quarter after apparently aggravating a back injury.
The aging defending champions and the injured Hornets now get three days of rest before playing Game 7.
“I have confidence,” Parker said. “We’ve won a lot of big games on the road.”
Despite the closeness of the series, Game 6, like the five before it, was won by 10 or more points. It was also won, like those before it, in the third quarter, when the Spurs outscored the Hornets 20-12.
“I don’t know what to say,” Paul said. “That third quarter was ugly.”
The Spurs took the lead for good after Parker’s jumper with 4: 27 left in the first quarter broke a 17-17 tie. They led by as many as 24.
The Spurs hit 11 of 21 threepointers, led by six from Ginobili. The Hornets had just two threes. But the Hornets had 48 points in the paint to just 28 from the Spurs.
The Spurs shot 49 percent from the field (38 of 77 ) to the Hornets’ 41 percent (33 of 80 ) and outrebounded them 45-40. The Spurs had 28 assists and the Hornets had 13.
“Thank God we get to go back to New Orleans for Game 7,” Paul said.
The Spurs came out with desperate energy, shooting 71 percent in the first quarter. They led by as many as 13 in the opening period after Bruce Bowen’s three-pointer made it 36-23. The Spurs took a 36-24 lead into the second quarter.
In the second period it was the Hornets who heated up — albeit to a lesser extent. Paul scored 10 points in the quarter, though Ginobili countered with 3 threes.
The Spurs maintained a lead of at least 10 points early in the second period before the Hornets started chipping away.
Chandler’s dunk off an alleyoop pass from Paul brought New Orleans within 46-41 with 5: 35 to play. The Hornets got within 55-49 and the Spurs were up 58-51 at halftime.
In the third — the quarter that has been pivotal in just about every game in this series — the Hornets got into quick foul trouble. Paul picked up consecutive offensive fouls, his third and fourth, and West picked up his second and third, all in a span o f 1: 05.
Then West picked up his fourth foul and, visibly upset about it, also got a technical with 8: 44 to play.
West did not score again in the quarter, but Paul kept his composure, hitting another layup and jumper and feeding Chandler for two more dunks.
After Chandler’s second slam, which brought the Hornets within 71-63, they didn’t score for the last 4: 44 of the period and the Spurs pulled away.
Duncan sank a shot over Chandler, then hit a layup and pumped his fist after Ime Udoka blocked Paul’s layup attempt. Duncan was fouled but couldn’t convert the three-point play.
It didn’t matter. The Spurs were firmly in control and Ginobili’s back-to-back threes to start the fourth quarter gave San Antonio an 84-63 lead and put away the game.
With 10: 11 left in the game, West left the court after aggravating a back injury. NEW ORLEANS (80 ) Stojakovic 5-10 2-2 13, West 4-14 2-2 10, Chandler 7-8 0-0 14, Paul 9-18 3-3 21, Peterson 1-5 0-0 3, Pargo 1-6 0-0 2, Wells 0-3 0-0 0, Wright 4-8 0-0 8, Ely 1-3 3-4 5, James 0-3 2-2 2, R. Bowen 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 33-80 12-13 80. SAN ANTONIO (99 ) B. Bowen 1-6 3-4 6, Duncan 7-14 6-8 20, Oberto 2-4 0-0 4, Parker 6-13 2-3 15, Ginobili 9-15 1-2 25, Udoka 5-5 0-1 13, Horry 0-3 0-0 0, Finley 1-6 0-0 2, Thomas 3-4 0-0 6, Barry 1-2 0-0 2, Vaughn 1-2 0-0 2, Bonner 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 38-77 12-18 99. New Orleans........................ 24 27 12 17 — 80 San Antonio........................ 36 22 20 21 — 99 3-Point Goals—New Orleans 2-9 (Stojakovic 1-1, Peterson 1-2, Wright 0-1, Wells 0-1, James 0-1, Paul 0-1, Pargo 0-2 ), San Antonio 11-21 (Ginobili 6-9, Udoka 3-3, Parker 1-1, B. Bowen 1-5, Barry 0-1, Horry 0-1, Finley 0-1 ). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—New Orleans 42 (Stojakovic, West, Paul, Chandler, Peterson 6 ), San Antonio 51 (Duncan 15 ). Assists—New Orleans 13 (Paul 8 ), San Antonio 28 (Duncan 6 ). Total Fouls—New Orleans 19, San Antonio 21. Technicals—West, New Orleans defensive three second, San Antonio defensive three second. Attendance—18, 797 (18, 797 ).
Wednesday’s late game LAKERS 111, JAZZ 104 LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant scored 26 points despite not attempting a field goal in the fourth quarter as Los Angeles beat Utah to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals. Bryant tweaked his back in the opening minutes of Sunday’s 123-115 overtime loss at Utah that tied the series. Sore back and all, he had 33 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists while playing 46 minutes. The MVP didn’t practice Monday or Tuesday, resting and receiving treatment. Clearly, it never occurred to him that he might be seriously hindered in Game 5, much less not play.
Bryant, who also had six rebounds and seven assists, scored only three points in the final period, all from the foul line after the outcome had been decided. He shot 6 for 10 from the floor and 13 of 17 from the free-throw line.
Lamar Odom had 22 points and 11 rebounds, Pau Ga sol added 21 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists, Vladimir Radmanovic scored 15 points and Derek Fisher (Little Rock Parkview, UALR ) added 14 for the Lakers, who were 17-1 during the regular season when all five starters scored at least 10 points.
Odom had seven points in the final period, when the Lakers outscored the Jazz 30-23.
All five Utah starters also scored at least 10 points, led by Deron Williams, who had 27 points and 10 assists. Carlos Boozer added 18 points and 12 rebounds, Ronnie Brewer (Fayetteville, Arkansas Razorbacks ) scored a career playoff-high 16 points, Mehmet Okur had 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Andrei Kirilenko scored 12 for the Jazz.
A three-point play by Odom with 6: 19 remaining gave the Lakers a 97-91 lead. But the Jazz battled back, and a three-pointer by Williams as the shot clock wound down moved the Jazz within one point with 2: 18 left.
A dunk by Odom put the Lakers ahead by three points before Okur’s basket made it 103-102. Gasol scored the game’s next four points to put the game away.
The Jazz, who trailed by 12 points in the second quarter, outscored the Lakers 15-8 to start the second half, tying the game at 69. Bryant scored 10 points in the quarter, including his team’s final six, but the game was tied 81-all entering the final period. UTAH (104 ) Kirilenko 5-13 2-2 12, Boozer 6-16 6-8 18, Okur 4-9 3-4 13, Williams 8-19 8-8 27, Brewer 7-9 2-2 16, Harpring 2-4 2-3 6, Korver 2-5 1-1 6, Millsap 0-0 0-0 0, Price 1-4 0-0 2, Collins 0-0 0-0 0, Miles 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 37-81 24-28 104. LA LAKERS (111 ) Radmanovic 6-11 0-0 15, Odom 8-12 6-6 22, Gasol 9-17 3-4 21, Fisher 3-7 7-8 14, Bryant 6-10 13-17 26, Walton 0-1 1-2 1, Turiaf 0-0 0-0 0, Farmar 2-5 1-1 6, Mbenga 0-0 0-0 0, Vujacic 1-11 3-4 6. Totals 35-74 34-42 111. Utah.................................. 26 28 27 23 — 104 LA Lakers........................... 29 32 20 30 — 111 3-Point Goals—Utah 6-17 (Williams 3-7, Okur 2-4, Korver 1-3, Kirilenko 0-3 ), LA Lakers 7-20 (Radmanovic 3-5, Fisher 1-2, Farmar 1-2, Bryant 1-2, Vujacic 1-8, Walton 0-1 ). Fouled Out—Kirilenko. Rebounds—Utah 51 (Okur 13 ), LA Lakers 44 (Odom 11 ). Assists—Utah 23 (Williams 10 ), LA Lakers 24 (Gasol 8 ). Total Fouls—Utah 31, LA Lakers 20. Technical—Vujacic. Attendance—18, 997 (18, 997 ).
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