SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Tony Parker had 22 points and eight assists to help the San Antonio Spurs beat the Boston Celtics 103-88 on Saturday night.
Gary Neal added 20 points, Danny Green scored 12 and Tiago Splitter finished with 16 points and eight rebounds for San Antonio (19-6), which overcame the loss of Manu Ginobili to improve to 8-2 at home.
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Ginobili departed with a bruised left quad after he ran into Chris Wilcox’s knee on a screen with 2:42 left in the first quarter. The severity of the injury wasn’t immediately known.
Paul Pierce and Jason Terry each scored 18 points for Boston (12-11). Kevin Garnett added 13 points and Courtney Lee had 11.
Parker scored nine points in the final quarter as San Antonio held on for the physical victory over the Celtics. He had one turnover in 36 minutes.
Spurs star Tim Duncan had a season-low five points. He had nine rebounds, but was 2 for 13 from the field.
Parker’s off-balance layup with 3:35 remaining gave San Antonio a 96-82 lead, prompting a timeout by Boston coach Doc Rivers. Parker sprinted toward the bench following the layup, pumping his fist and yelling “come on.”
Both teams pulled their starters a minute after Parker’s layup.
Splitter scored 10 points in the first half, going 4 for 5 from the field. With Duncan struggling, the Spurs needed Splitter’s production.
The Spurs went on an 11-0 run after Jeff Green’s layup tied it at 55 in the third. Danny Green hit a pair of 3s and Neal had a 3 and a teardrop jumper during the run.
NOTES: Boston will play 21 back-to-back games this season, but none consecutively at home. The Celtics had split their first six back-to-backs this season prior to Saturday’s loss against the Spurs. . San Antonio swingman Stephen Jackson (broken right pinkie) and F Kawhi Leonard (left knee) have both been out a month with injuries. . San Antonio leads the NBA with 25.3 assists per game, its highest total since averaging 24.9 assists in 1995.
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