Parker scores 55 points in Spurs' first win

[November 06, 2008]  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Tony Parker scored a career-high 55 points, including a 20-footer at the buzzer to force a second overtime, in the San Antonio Spurs' 129-125 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night

After Al Jefferson backed down Tim Duncan and sank a turnaround hook to put Minnesota up 116-114 with 2 1/2 seconds left in the first overtime, Parker took the inbounds pass, dribbled right, pump-faked once and let the ball fly. He let a sly smile creep across his normally stone face as the Wolves trudged back to the bench.

Jefferson paused to sit on the scorer's table before play resumed and just shook his head as if to say, "What more can we do?"

San Antonio won for the first time in four games this season, and picked up its sixth straight win and 11th in the last 12 meetings against Minnesota.

Parker scored six of his team's first eight points in the second overtime to stretch the lead to four, though Randy Foye made a 3-pointer from the corner to cut the lead to one. The Spurs rebounded a pair of missed jumpers, before Parker finally went to the line with 19 seconds left and made it 128-125.

That gave Parker the highest scoring output by any individual opponent in the Wolves' 20-year history. Shaquille O'Neal had 53 points for Orlando in 1994.

Parker was 22-of-36 from the field and added 10 assists and seven rebounds.

Mike Miller had 12 of his 25 points in the first quarter for Minnesota, which held a nine-point lead twice but lost its edge late in the third while the Spurs closed with a 26-14 run.

Though their first two defeats were narrow, to Phoenix and Portland, the Spurs had begun 0-4 only once before -- in 1973 when they still played in the ABA.

With the visitors sputtering and Manu Ginobili still missing, the Wolves appeared primed to stop their recent struggles against the perennial Western Conference power.

Ginobili averaged nearly 31 points over San Antonio's four victories last season, and he sank an astounding seven of nine 3-pointers in each matchup at Minnesota.

Well, Parker more than did his part to fill the void, as he's actually done all four times the Spurs have taken the court in Ginobili's absence to an ankle injury. Swishing soft mid-range jumpers and speeding to the basket for layups, Parker raised his scoring average to 33.3 points.

After surviving their opener by two points over Sacramento, the Wolves went cold in losses to Dallas and Oklahoma City. Randy Foye missed all 10 of his shots against the Thunder after going 3-for-14 against the Mavericks, and Miller -- whose arrival was designed to significantly upgrade their outside shooting -- was 1-for-7 from behind the arc in those games.

Miller got it going in this one, though, hitting a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter and sinking his share down the stretch.

Notes: Until Jefferson's miss late in the third quarter, the Wolves made 33 straight free throws dating to the fourth quarter against Dallas two games ago. ... Hockey and basketball crowds don't often mix, but injured Minnesota Wild star Marian Gaborik was in attendance.

[Associated Press; By DAVE CAMPBELL]

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