Spurs 97, Clippers 84

Saturday December 14, 2002

SAN ANTONIO (AP) The San Antonio Spurs had good reason to be confident about their West Coast trip.

Tim Duncan had 25 points and 18 rebounds, and Tony Parker added 22 points and nine assists as San Antonio beat the Los Angeles Clippers 97-84 Friday night.

``That's two in a row,'' said Parker, who has 54 points in the last two games. ``The Dallas game gave us confidence and now we have to carry that with us out on the road. We have to stay together and stay on the same page after two big wins at home.''

The Spurs, who beat Dallas on Wednesday night, trail the Midwest Division-leading Mavericks by 5{ games.

San Antonio never trailed after the second quarter and had four players in double figures. Stephen Jackson and Steve Smith each scored 10 points.

``We really moved the ball around and got some good shots,'' David Robinson said. ``We wanted to do that and be sure to get off to a good start at each half, no letdowns. We really wanted to keep the momentum we picked up after the Maverick game.''

Michael Olowokandi led Los Angeles with 20 points, Quentin Richardson added 19 and Elton Brand had 16.

``We basically didn't hit shots out of the double team,'' Clippers coach Alvin Gentry said. ``The NBA is all about spacing. We need to get that kind of spacing, and have guys step up and knock down shots.''

San Antonio had a 26-2 run in the second and third quarters and took a 68-48 lead on a three-point play by Robinson with 7:57 to play in the third period.

Duncan had eight points and nine rebounds in the third quarter as San Antonio outscored the Clippers 22-17 and led 78-64 going to the fourth. Los Angeles cut it to 84-75 on Brand's free throw with 8:27 left, but San Antonio answered with a 6-0 run.

Los Angeles could get no closer than 13 points the rest of the way as Parker scored 10 points in the fourth.

``He's getting loose and getting comfortable out there,'' Duncan said of Parker. ``He's learning his role in the offense and filling it nicely.''

San Antonio made 51.3 percent (39-76) of its shots and held the Clippers to just 37.6 percent (32-85) from the field.

``We definitely have to step up and just hit shots,'' said Brand, who had 14 rebounds.

Behind Duncan and Robinson, San Antonio dominated Los Angeles inside, outscoring the Clippers 50-38 in the paint.

``We did a little better tonight staying focused,'' Duncan said. ``We had some lapses and gave up some offensive boards, but all in all we stayed focused for a longer period of time than we have been.''< ^Notes:@ San Antonio came into the game leading the league in blocked shots (161) and added 10 against Los Angeles ... Los Angeles is 4-7 on the road. ... With the win, San Antonio improved to 85-25 against the Clippers, including 48-8 at home.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)