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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
BOSTON (AP) -- Tim Duncan did his usual damage to his opponents. It's when he starts hurting teammates that his coach gets worried.
Duncan scored 31 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and scared the
Spurs when he accidentally hit David Robinson on top of the head as San Antonio cruised to a 121-98 win over the Boston Celtics on
Wednesday night.
"You're concerned about anyone when he bites the dust like
that," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
Duncan, following up his own miss, hit Robinson with his arm.
The stunned center crumpled to the court, first holding his head,
then his right shoulder. He lay under his basket for more than two
minutes then went to the locker room with 1:21 left in the half and
San Antonio leading 60-39.
"I got a dead feeling in my arm, but it went away pretty quick," Robinson said. "Sure, it's a little unsettling."
He played the first eight minutes of the third quarter and said
he could have played more, but the lead was so large he wasn't
needed after that. Robinson finished with 10 points and nine
rebounds in 25 minutes.
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“ |
They physically
dominated us. That is why they're world champions. We're not in that kind of
class. ” |
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— Rick Pitino |
"They physically dominated us. That is why they're world
champions," Boston coach Rick Pitino said. "They're a great
basketball team with a lot of answers. We're not in that kind of
class."
The Celtics, out of the playoffs the past four seasons, began
the game at a surprisingly strong 7-4 with a four-game winning
streak. But they were no match for the Spurs despite getting 16
points from Eric Williams and 15 points from Antoine Walker.
There was little doubt the Spurs would win their third
consecutive game after building a 33-20 lead after the first
quarter.
"We sort of shocked them in the first quarter," said Mario
Elie, who had 25 points for San Antonio. "We came out with guns
blazing."
The Spurs hit 65 percent of their shots in that period and
outshot the Celtics 58 to 45 percent for the game. And they found
the open man, getting 35 assists as five players had at least four
each.
"It was definitely our best game at both ends of the court,"
Popovich said.
Duncan and Elie sat out the start of the fourth quarter but
returned with about seven minutes left after Boston drew within
101-83.
With the score tied 6-6, the Spurs went on a 17-6 run to take a
23-12 lead with 3:04 left in the first quarter. Walter McCarty
followed with a 3-pointer for Boston, but Robinson's dunk made it
25-15 and San Antonio led by at least 10 points the rest of the
way.
"We didn't do well adjusting to them," Boston's Paul Pierce
said. "We let them play their half-court game instead of our
full-court game."
The Spurs had their biggest lead, 96-65, after three quarters,
outshooting the Celtics 62 percent to 39 percent and outrebounding
them 37-23 to that point.
With the lead 97-67, the Celtics scored the next 10 points. But
the closest they came after that was 106-91. Robinson watched it
all from the bench.
"I started talking to him while he was on the floor and he said
he was getting the feeling back in his arm," Duncan said. "I'm
glad it wasn't anything serious."
Game notes
Boston entered the game with the best home record (6-1) in
the Eastern Conference. ... San Antonio is 10-1 in its last 11
games against Boston. The teams did not meet in the 1999
strike-shortened season. ... Duncan scored 10 or more points for
the 35th straight game, the fourth longest streak among active
players. ... Celtics guard Kenny Anderson was charged with a
technical foul by referee Rashan Michel with 6:56 left in the third
quarter. Pitino protested, telling Michel that all Anderson said to
the referee was "game's not over." The Spurs led 77-51 at the
time.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
San Antonio Clubhouse
Boston Clubhouse
RECAPS
San Antonio 121
Boston 98
Washington 101
Philadelphia 93
Charlotte 89
Vancouver 73
Miami 93
Atlanta 91
Orlando 112
Dallas 100
Milwaukee 102
Chicago 95
Portland 88
Minnesota 81
Denver 109
Toronto 84
New Jersey 92
Golden State 84
LA Lakers 90
Utah 82
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