Spurs beat Wolves

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Tim Duncan had 21 points and 15 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-100 on Wednesday night despite playing most of the game without All-Star guard Tony Parker.

Stephen Jackson and Gary Neal each scored 16 points for the Spurs (30-14), who won their fourth straight game and fifth in their last six.

Parker left with tightness in his left hamstring with 8:03 remaining in the first half. He spoke briefly with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich before heading to the locker room with two points and six assists.

Kevin Love had 17 points and 12 rebounds for his league-leading 40th double-double, but Minnesota lost for the fourth time in six games to fall further behind in the Western Conference playoff race.

Parker has missed two games this season for the Spurs, who lost backup T.J. Ford to retirement earlier this month. With Parker out, Neal is the primary backup point guard. The team sent rookie point guard Cory Joseph to the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League on Tuesday.

Minnesota had won the previous two games in the season series, which concluded Wednesday. The first victory snapped a 16-game skid for the Timberwolves in San Antonio, while Manu Ginobili broke his left hand in the second game. The Spurs guard missed 22 games after that injury.

The Timberwolves were playing without starting center Nikola Pekovic, their second-leading scorer and rebounder. The second-year big man went back to Minnesota before the game to have his sore left ankle examined. He also will miss Friday’s game at Oklahoma City, which ends the team’s seven-game road trip.

Danny Green had 14 points and seven rebounds for the Spurs, who outrebounded the Timberwolves 56-41. J.J. Barea added 18 points and 11 assists for the Timberwolves.

With Pekovic out, Minnesota went with a smaller lineup, starting Love at center. Before the game, Minnesota coach Rick Adelman was blunt in his assessment of the team’s other likely option, starting Darko Milicic at center.

“He hasn’t done anything to give you faith that he’s going to go out and do the job,” Adelman said before the game. “He’s gotten himself out of shape, and I don’t think he’s been as driven as you’d like.”

Milicic didn’t play.

The Spurs led 56-47 at halftime behind Duncan’s 13 points and 11 rebounds. With Minnesota playing a smaller lineup, the Spurs outrebounded the Timberwolves 31-21 and scored 28 points in the paint.

San Antonio hit 13 of 20 shots in the third quarter to extend its lead to 91-71 entering the fourth quarter. The Timberwolves closed to 93-77 early in the period before Neal scored seven straight points. Love didn’t play in the fourth quarter.

Tags: pro