|
 Popovich's strategy worked well enough that the San Antonio bench
players outscored the starters for both teams as the Spurs -- behind
forward Tim Duncan's 16 points and 10 rebounds -- rolled to a 95-70
victory to remain undefeated at home.
None of San Antonio's five starters played more than 25 minutes and
all eight of the Spurs' bench players had at least seven minutes on
the court, outscoring their starters 50-45 and the Milwaukee
starting five 50-43.
A lion's share of the credit went to the defense, which limited the
Bucks to a season-low in scoring and field goal percentage (33.8
percent).
"Team defense is very good," Popovich said. "LaMarcus (Aldridge) had
five blocks and when he does that it makes it really tough for teams
to score (in the paint). It helped us get going and we found a
little bit of offense here and there."
Duncan played just 19:44 and sat out the entire fourth quarter along
with the majority of the starters. The Spurs still outscored the
Bucks 19-15 in the quarter.
San Antonio (15-4) began going to its bench early and kept running
fresh players at the young Bucks, whose starting five combined have
the same number of years in the league as Duncan, who is in his 18th
year in the NBA.
"We're a young ballclub and we can learn from a team like the
Spurs," said Bucks guard O.J. Mayo, who, with seven years of league
service, is Milwaukee's most experienced player. "We knew it was
going to be tough coming in here. I felt like we competed with them
for most of the game."
The Spurs trailed by three points in the first two minutes of the
game but reeled off a 14-4 run and never looked back.
Forward Kawhi Leonard added 13 points after leading San Antonio in
scoring for the past seven games. Reserve guard Patty Mills scored
13 points and reserve forward Boris Diaw had 11 points.
It was the first time this season that a player other than Leonard,
Aldridge or guard Tony Parker led the Spurs in scoring.
Milwaukee (7-12) was led by forward Kris Middleton's 16 points and
center Greg Monroe's 14. The Bucks shot just 33.8 percent from the
floor and were outrebounded 54-44.
"We had some shots that we missed and we got a little frustrated,"
Kidd said. "San Antonio is maybe the best at playing team defense
right now in the league, so you can't get frustrated. This is a good
tape for us to go watch to see how to move the ball, even if you are
not making shots."
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The Spurs led 28-21 at the end of the first quarter as the Bucks hit
on just 6 of 20 from the field (30 percent) in the first 12 minutes.
San Antonio shot 48 percent but missed both 3-point attempts,
extending a woeful streak from long distance that began Monday in a
loss to Chicago.
The Bucks' shooting was even worse in the second quarter -- 28.2
percent at the half -- as San Antonio clogged the paint and the
passing lanes, forcing Milwaukee to try to shoot over the taller and
bigger Spurs.
San Antonio led 48-38 at halftime as Duncan had 10 points and six
rebounds. Monroe paced the Bucks with 10 points.
The Spurs expanded their lead to 76-55 after three quarters. All 11
players who entered the game scored at least two points.
"We obviously have a good defensive system and we try to do the same
thing every night," Spurs reserve forward David West said. "Having
that sort of consistency helps us. If we are not making shot, the
defense is always there."
NOTES: The Spurs went 2 of 14 from 3-point range on Monday in a
92-89 loss at Chicago, the fewest made 3s this season for San
Antonio. The showing came two days after the Spurs made a
season-high nine 3-pointers in a win over Atlanta. ... On March 6,
1982, the Spurs beat the Bucks 171-166 in triple overtime. The 171
points are still a San Antonio club record and the 337 combined
points by the teams remain the second-highest total in a game in NBA
history. ... Spurs F Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points on Monday in the
loss to Chicago, the fifth straight game he reached at least 20
points. ... The Bucks held the Nuggets to 14 fourth-quarter points
and 30 second-half points in their 92-74 win on Monday, which were
season lows for Milwaukee opponents. ... The Bucks have dropped six
straight games to the Spurs dating to Jan. 10, 2012. ... Bucks F
Jabari Parker scored a season-high 16 points and added a career-high
two blocked shots on Monday against Denver.
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