Against the Indiana Pacers on Friday, the San Antonio Spurs only connected on 2-of-17 three-pointers. The Spurs were also outrebounded on the offensive glass 19-6, and they were down by 17-points at one time in the second half, yet they still won the game.
Winning in a game where all of the above were present can rarely happen when a team has a big three like Tony Parker (33 points, 10 assists, 2 steals), Tim Duncan (22 points, 17 rebounds, and Manu Ginobili (19 points, 2 steals), but on Friday evening in Indiana, that rare moment happened as the Spurs made a comeback to defeat the Pacers 104-97.
Here’s the rundown.
First quarter: Spurs 28, Pacers 25
Whether it was hitting jumpers, sinking tear drops, setting up his teammates, or putting George Hill (11 points, 7 assists) on the bench with two fouls, Parker did it all in the first by scoring 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting and dishing five assists. Duncan helped Parker early in the first with six points, while the Spurs shot 54% in the quarter, but the Pacers were shooting 48%.
Second quarter: Spurs 48, Pacers 52
One of the bread-and-butter areas where the Spurs get their scoring from is the 3-point line. In the first half, that element was missing as the team shot 0-10 for two quarters where they had both open and contested attempts. The Pacers outscored the Spurs 27-20 even though both teams were shooting 47% by the half. Parker added four points and one assist in the second, while Duncan added six points to his total. Paul George (15 points) hit a 3-pointer with time wining down to give the Pacers the four-point lead going into half.
Third quarter: Spurs 73, Pacers 77
The Spurs didn’t have the start they wanted as they struggled to limit the Pacers on offensive rebounds and in transition, as Indiana built a 17-point lead. The Spurs however found a way to answer back as Ginobili went on a 7-0 run by himself to cut the Pacers’ lead to six points. By the time the quarter ended, the Spurs were only down four behind Parker’s 28 points and Ginobili’s 13 points.
Fourth quarter: Spurs 104, Pacers 97
After struggling to score in the previous two quarters, the Spurs’ offense came into stride in the fourth quarter as the Spurs outscored the Pacers 31-20 to not only retake the lead, but also hold on for the win by closing out the game with an 11-2 run. Parker, Duncan, Danny Green, and Ginobili were a big part of the Spurs’ fourth quarter comeback.
With the win, the Spurs move to 10-3 on the season. The team will be off on Saturday before resuming play against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday as the team continues its six-game road trip. The Spurs are 2-0 early on the six game road trip.
Post-game notes
· Despite only making 12% of their 3-pointers (2-of-17) and being outrebounded 19-6 in offensive rebounds, the Spurs still managed to make the comeback for the win due majorly to their careful possession of the ball, as the Spurs only turned the ball over 10 times in the game. The Spurs also shot 20-of-22 from the free throw line (91%), as 20 of their points came from the charity stripe.
· It was a classic night for the “Big 3” of Parker, Duncan, and Ginobili, as the three of them combined for 74 of the Spurs’ 104 points in the game.
· Parker had another huge offensive night after his 28-point performance against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. Parker shot 15-of-23 against the Pacers while only visiting the 3-point line twice in the game. In the first half, Hill struggled to slow Parker down so the Pacers used George on him in the second half.
