The San Antonio Spurs beat the Washington Wizards for the 12th straight time on Monday night, one of the longest active winning streaks in the NBA. The Spurs shot the lights out in the first half to build a comfortable double-digit lead, and Washington could not make a run in the second half to cut into the deficit and seriously threaten. In the fourth quarter, the Wizards finally did get a string of stops on the defensive end, but they then went cold on the offensive end and just could not seem to cut into the lead, as San Antonio held a 9-point advantage. The Spurs finished it off with a 112-97 victory.
The offensive end of the floor wasn't the weak spot on this night, as Randy Wittman's club had five players in double figures. Javale McGee had one of his best games in some time, with an impressive double-double effort scoring 21 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. The Wizards shot 45 percent from the floor and hit their three-pointers, but the San Antonio offense was as crisp as ever, as the Wizards chased them all over the floor but could not catch up. Tony Parker got into the lane with ease and scored a game-high 31 points. As a team, the Spurs shot 54 percent from the floor.
It doesn't get any easier for the Wiz, as they head to Dallas to face the defending champion Mavericks on the second night of a road back-to-back.
For more on this game and all things related to the Washington Wizards, please head over to Bullets Forever. For a perspective from the other bench, please check out Pounding The Rock, SB Nation's San Antonio Spurs blog. For more on this and every NBA game, please head over to the SB Nation NBA basketball hub page.
The Washington Wizards tipped off a six-game road trip in San Antonio on Monday night, and after one half, the Wiz trail the Spurs by 14 points. San Antonio shot an impressive 62 percent from the floor to race out to 63 first half points against a Wizards defense that has given up too many easy buckets. The Spurs went on a 15-2 run in the middle of the second quarter which built the lead to double digits. They made eight of their first nine shots to start the second quarter, and shot 65 percent. To cap it off, a loose ball fell into the hands of Richard Jefferson in the corner and RJ drilled a three-pointer as the buzzer went off to give Greg Popovich's club the comfortable halftime lead.
Tony Parker orchestrated the offense for the Spurs and he is well on his way to a double-double, scoring nine points and dishing seven assists in the first 24 minutes. Tim Duncan is already five of eight from the floor and is the only Spur in double figures. The Spurs moved the ball all over the floor, putting the Wizards defense on the ropes and racking up an amazing 23 assists in just one half.
Jordan Crawford leads the Wizards with 13 points, as the Xavier product drilled three of four attempts from behind the arc. Javale McGee has matched Duncan on the interior, grabbing nine boards and scoring 10 points already. He's been particularly active on the offensive glass, crashing the boards for four offensive rebounds. But Washington will have to get some stops on the defensive end to get back in it in the second half.
For more on this game and all things related to the Washington Wizards, please head over to Bullets Forever. For a perspective from the other bench, please check out Pounding The Rock, SB Nation's San Antonio Spurs blog. For more on this and every NBA game, please head over to the SB Nation NBA basketball hub page.
