Parker scores 24 as Spurs beat slumping Lakers

By RAUL DOMINGUEZ

SAN ANTONIO (AP) Tony Parker scored 24 points and the San Antonio Spurs handed the slumping Los Angeles Lakers their fifth straight loss with a 108-105 victory Wednesday night.

Manu Ginobili added 19 points and Tiago Splitter and Stephen Jackson had 14 each for San Antonio, which has won 11 straight at home.

Kobe Bryant had 27 points, Metta World Peace added 23 and Earl Clark 22 for Los Angeles. Bryant was 10 for 24 from the field, missing a 3-pointer on his final attempt that would have tied the game. Clark missed a follow-up 3 off a long rebound.

Coming off a 125-112 loss at Houston on Tuesday, the Lakers fought until the final buzzer.

Bryant's 3-pointer pulled Los Angeles to 105-99 with 3:32 remaining. The 3 led to spirited dueling cries of support between a large contingent of Lakers fans seated near the Los Angeles bench and Spurs fans.

Antawn Jamison's layup pulled the Lakers within 105-102 following a timeout, but Artest missed a layup and 3-pointer on consecutive possessions.

Ginobili hit a 3-pointer that gave the Spurs a six-point lead, but Clark responded with his own 3 to close to 108-105, setting up Bryant's final attempt.

Parker's 17-foot jumper gave the Spurs their largest lead at 83-66, but the Lakers quickly pared the 17-point deficit. Artest hit a 3, Bryant made a pair of jumpers and Clark had a 21-foot jumper to pull the Lakers to 83-75 with 49.3 seconds left in the third.

With Lakers big men Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol and Jordan Hill all missing the game with injuries, San Antonio only managed a 48-40 rebounding advantage.

NOTES: Lakers G Steve Blake (abdominal surgery) missed his 28th game of the season. . The Spurs had every player on their current roster active. . The Lakers haven't lost five in a row since April 3-10, 2011. . The Lakers are 1-12 when trailing after the first quarter this season. . The Spurs evened their overall record against the Lakers at 74-all. San Antonio has a 46-29 advantage at home. . Bryant holds the Spurs opponent record for most field goal attempts - 41 on Feb. 14, 2004.

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POSTGAME QUOTES



Mike D’Antoni:

On playing like tonight when injured players return:
“I’m really proud of them for the way they fought. It wasn’t always smooth. There were still some mental breakdowns, especially on the defensive end, but overall the effort was there and Earl Clark was phenomenal. Hopefully we found something there. If we play with that effort and with that team sense of chemistry then we’re going to win a lot of games.”

On getting back in the fourth quarter:
“To be honest with you, we probably compromised the game by the second quarter where we took some gambles on defense where we were very inattentive on some of the back cuts and stuff that led us going down by three or four points at halftime to a nine point deficit. That’s where guys have to understand, it’s great to fight at the end but you’re fighting back from a deficit and everything has to go right. We cannot have mental lapses in the first, second and third quarters. That’s mostly mental lapses that we have to keep pointing out, talking to them individually and team-wise keep trying to get better at it.” c

On defending the rim but sacrificing the three-point shot:
“They’re going to hit something, first of all, because they’re a very good basketball team. They’re coached well and they’re playing really well. Take some of them and that’s the price of the game. They’re moving the ball really well. Take the ones we just fell asleep on and now we would’ve won the game and you go, ‘oh what an effort’ and you don’t worry about that but if you fall asleep one time, it’s too many. When it’s four or five times, you almost have to play a perfect game offensively, you have to be lucky, or you’re fighting from behind. It just comes down to we cannot have those mental lapses during a game.”

On having hope from the team’s performance tonight:
“Like I said, I’m proud of their effort and I’m proud of them. They fought and they fought last night against Houston. You can see the team getting some traction but we’re a long way away from smiling and we don’t need to until we can start a little better.”

On tonight's game:
“We played hard, so I am proud of that fact, but they (Spurs) played just as hard."

On the play of Earl Clark:
"He was phenomenal tonight. He sits right next to me on plane rides so I talk to him and he always tells me that he is ready to play and he definitely was tonight. He played phenomenal against a heck of a team with some great forwards so I was very impressed."

On losing such a close game:
"We have lost five games in a row, it is pretty self explanatory. We played very hard and I think we figured a few things out. We still have to straighten some things out on the defensive end but I feel like we competed and that was very important."

On getting an opportunity to play and if he was surprised of how well he played:
“No, I know what I am capable of. I just wanted the opportunity and it is unfortunate that Pau (Gasol) and Dwight (Howard) had to get hurt but I just wanted to bring energy and my shots were falling tonight."

On why the game opened up for him tonight:
"Like I said, I just wanted to go out there and play hard. I listened to coach and went out there with a lot of energy and that is what I do for this team. I bring a lot of energy and try to rebound and made some shots tonight."

On if he can continue this role going forward:
"Yes, I think so. If I get the opportunity to play and get some minutes I do not see why not. Ever since I have been in the NBA I have been wanting consistent playing time so I am glad I played well tonight to maybe crack the rotation."

Can you talk about Kawhi’s defensive work on Kobe tonight?
“I thought Kawhi’s defense in general, mostly on Kobe, but he also guarded World Peace and some other guys too, I thought he was the highlight of our game tonight. I thought we were really raggedy on offense to the point where I didn’t know who was out on the court. I didn’t recognize that basketball team. Not sharing the ball the way we should. Taking bad shots, contested shots, no pace, was really tough to watch. But Kawhi Leonard was the star of the show as far as I’m concerned. He had a great night and is getting better and better defensively and starting to find his way offensively. I thought that was great.”

When asked how important the defensive stands were at the end of the fourth quarter…
“We made some good stops at the end. We need those to win the game. In basketball it can go both ways and luckily it went our way tonight.”

When asked about the three-pointer Manu hit towards the end of the game…
“It was a big shot. We executed well and Manu was wide open to hit the three.”

When asked how important was the defense of Kawhi Leonard on Kobe Bryant tonight…
“It was great. He (Kawhi Leonard) played great defense. You want to try to contain him, it’s not easy. Overall he did a great job.”

When asked about the game tonight…
“The disappointing thing was our offence. We really played poorly. Especially in the second half, everything was slow and we were not sharp or aggressive. They (Lakers) made us make too many mistakes. Offensively you know they can score with players like (Steve) Nash and Kobe (Bryant), they can make things happen.”

When asked what happened in the fourth when the Lakers came back into the game…
“We kind of stopped. We need rhythm this year. We are getting used to playing faster and we just didn’t do it. We were playing one-on-one instead of doing what we do best and that’s to penetrate and kick and passing the ball. This is the second time in a row that this has happened. Memphis is going to be a great test for us.”

When asked when you’re up 10 late and it goes to a five point lead is it hard to stay intense…
“The closer it gets the easier it is to focus and be ready. Of course you worry, because we were up by 16 and we just messed up the whole game. Like I said before, it was disappointing to see the team play like that, but at least we got the win.”

LAKERS-SPURS PREVIEW

By ALAN FERGUSON

While Metta World Peace tried to do his part, the Los Angeles Lakers couldn't overcome the loss of three frontcourt players, including a pair of All-Stars, during their opener to a brief road trip through Texas.

The Lakers will attempt to end that two-game trek on a more positive note Wednesday night but have the daunting task of trying to snap the San Antonio Spurs' 10-game home win streak.

Dwight Howard (shoulder), Pau Gasol (concussion) and reserve Jordan Hill (hip) are out indefinitely for Los Angeles (15-19), and Gasol is expected to be re-evaluated Thursday. Even without those players, the Lakers were competitive for much of their visit to Houston on Tuesday, leading by 14 points in the first quarter, but ultimately couldn't keep up with one of the league's top scoring teams, falling 125-112 for a fourth straight defeat.

World Peace had a season-high 24 points but Kobe Bryant failed to top 25 for the first time in 18 games, finishing with 20 on 8-of-22 shooting.

"I thought we had the better team," World Peace said. "We definitely had the better team, but every night we have the better team and it's just not translating to wins.

"We've just got to move forward. We don't have time to feel bad for anyone."

The Lakers' chances to end their brief trip with a win don't appear promising against the Southwest Division-leading Spurs (27-10). San Antonio, though, has lost two of three after winning a season-high seven in a row and fell 95-88 in a visit to the Western Conference's last-place team, New Orleans, on Monday.

The Spurs were hindered by 19 turnovers, which led to 23 points for the Hornets, and a 5-of-14 shooting performance from Tim Duncan. He had 13 points while Tony Parker was the only starter to outscore him with 16. Manu Ginobili had a team-best 21 points off the bench.

"We played a well-coached, aggressive, well-executing team," coach Gregg Popovich said. "They did a great job at both ends of the court. They just whipped us."

The Spurs, though, will try to get back in the win column and extend their longest home streak since a franchise-record, 22-game run Dec. 3, 2010-March 4, 2011. San Antonio has won three in a row over Los Angeles, including an 84-82 road victory Nov. 13.

Danny Green hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 9.3 seconds left in that game, but the Spurs won more comfortably during the most recent matchup in San Antonio on April 20. Duncan had 21 points, and Parker and Ginobili scored 20 apiece in a 121-97 victory.

"(Playing the Lakers) is always a good test," Ginobili said. "They've got heart. They play hard. We now need that win. We want to keep that (home) win streak going, but we have to play better."

The Lakers have won in two of its past three visits to San Antonio and World Peace had a team-best 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting in the latest of those victories, 98-84 on April 11.

Bryant was held out of that game because of an injured left shin. He had 28 points on 12-of-19 shooting in the loss to San Antonio in November. The Spurs shot just 38.9 percent in that game and had three players in double figures, led by Parker with 19 points and Duncan with 18.

The Lakers haven't lost five in a row since April 3-10, 2011.

SEASON & SERIES NOTES; CONNECTIONS
The Lakers trail their three-game season series with San Antonio 0-1 after dropping last season’s series to the Spurs 1-2. The Lakers split the 2009-10 and 2010-11 season series with San Antonio 2-2 and last took a series from the Spurs in 2008-09 (2-1). In their last 10 overall games, the Lakers are 4-6 against the Spurs. At home, the Lakers are 5-5 in their last 10 games against San Antonio in Los Angeles. Overall, the Lakers are 11-14 all-time against the Spurs at STAPLES Center. In San Antonio, the Lakers are 4-6 in their last 10 meetings with the Spurs. In 54 regular season games including 49 starts against San Antonio, Kobe Bryant is averaging 24.3 points per game, the 9th lowest ppg average against an opposing team in his career. Back on February 8, 2010, Pau Gasol helped defeat the Spurs with 21 points, 19 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 blocks, marking just the 7th time a player has accomplished that feat (at least those totals in each category in a single game) in league history. Spurs guard Manu Ginobili played for Argentina in the 2012 London Olympics, facing Kobe Bryant’s United States team in the semifinals. Team USA defeated Argentina in that contest 109-83. Bryant finished with 13 points (5-10 FG), four rebounds and two steals while Ginobili totaled 18 points (7-15 FG), two rebounds and three assists. The two also met in the 2008 Beijing Olympics but Ginobili suffered a foot injury in their August 22, 2008 meeting. Bryant scored 12 points as the U.S. defeated defending champion Argentina 101-81 to advance to the gold medal game while Ginobili played just six minutes due to injury. Lakers assistant coach Chuck Person played in 222 games as a member of the Spurs (1994-98) averaging 9.7 points over that span. Spurs forward Boris Diaw played four seasons (2005-09) with Lakers guard Steve Nash in Phoenix, posting career-highs in points (13.3), rebounds (6.9) and assists (6.2) in his first season with the Suns alongside Nash. Also, Spurs forward/guard Stephen Jackson played two seasons (2004-06) with Metta World Peace in Indiana.

LAST REGULAR SEASON MEETING
Trailing by one with 19.9 seconds remaining, San Antonio’s Danny Green connected on a three-pointer with 9.3 seconds to play, Pau Gasol missed a three-pointer with 2.9 seconds left and when the buzzer sounded, the Lakers were on the short end of an 84-82 final score Tuesday night at STAPLES Center. The Lakers, who led by three at the 1:03 mark of the fourth quarter, were outscored by the Spurs 5-0 to close the game. Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 28 points (12-19 FG), four rebounds and a gamehigh eight assists, playing most of the fourth quarter at the point guard position. Dwight Howard (13 points, game-high 15 rebounds, 3 blocks), Metta World Peace (12 points (4-14 FG) and Pau Gasol (10 points (3-10 FG), 10 rebounds, 5 assists) all scored in double-figures while the Lakers bench managed to stay with with the Spurs’ reserves, only being outscored by two points (20-18) on the night. Tony Parker led San Antonio with 19 points (8-18 FG) and a team-high seven assists. Tim Duncan (18 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks) and Danny Green (11 points (4-12 FG)) were the only other Spurs in double-figures in the win. With the loss, the Lakers fell to 21-28 in reg. season games started by Bryant against the Spurs (lowest win% vs. an opponent in Bryant era) while the 166 combined points was the second lowest total in series history.