Thursday, December 12, 2013
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Duncan sparks Spurs to rout of Bucks

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[December 12, 2013]  MILWAUKEE — At 37 years old, Tim Duncan still has plenty left in the tank.

San Antonio's veteran forward made that abundantly clear Wednesday, scoring 21 points and grabbing 16 rebounds as the Spurs rolled to a 109-77 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

"Timmy is playing well," Spurs coach Greg Popovich said. "He is like an anomaly really. He's out there with one leg and just keeps on playing beautiful basketball, and he makes everyone around him better by the decisions he makes and just the way he plays so unselfishly. He's still the base of everything we do."

Duncan did most of his damage in the first quarter, scoring 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting as the Spurs (17-4) built a 32-16 lead. By halftime, he already notched his third double-double of the season.

"I just made shots," Duncan said. "We moved the ball real well and we made open shots. We were able to get a lead and defensively, we were solid; real active and just good energy for us on a back-to-back."

Including Duncan, who played just 24 minutes, five San Antonio players scored in double figures.

Point guard Tony Parker had 15 points and five assists, forward Kawhi Leonard scored 13, and guards Danny Green and Cory Joseph added 10 apiece.


San Antonio starting forward Jeff Ayres did not score, but he pulled down 10 rebounds, seven of them in the first half.

"We don't worry so much about who we're playing or about what we're going to put on the floor and how we're going to do it," Duncan said. "Good focus for us tonight, good execution for us. We came in with the right energy. ... Guys came off the bench and played really well, and we were able to keep our minutes down."

San Antonio shot 52.3 percent from the field and dominated on the boards, outrebounding the Bucks, 52-37.

Milwaukee (5-17) won two of its last three, including a 78-74 decision over the Bulls on Tuesday night in Chicago, but the Bucks were out of it from the opening tip Wednesday.

"The first two or three minutes, they just were on a pack and on target with everything they did," Milwaukee coach Larry Drew said. "Their offensive execution is as good as anyone in our league."

The Bucks missed 14 shots in the first quarter and shot 34.5 percent for the game. Their worst showing, though, came in the third when they went 6-for-23 from the field, missed five of six 3-pointers and fell behind by 38 points heading into the fourth.

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Rookie point guard Nate Wolters was Milwaukee's leading scorer with 18 points in 30 minutes, his longest effort since playing 34 against the Indiana Pacers on Nov. 15. Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, another rookie, added 15 points and eight rebounds in 33 minutes.

Reserve center Miroslav Raduljica added 10 points and seven rebounds, both season highs.

"They were really tough to guard," Wolters said. "They spaced the floor really well, and with Parker and Duncan, they really took it to us from the beginning, and we just never recovered. We were getting good looks, we just weren't knocking them down, but it's tough to get your offense going when you're down by that much right away."

Looking for a spark, Drew gave just over 150 minutes to his reserves, who combined to score 58 of the Milwaukee's 77 points.

"The second unit came in and gave us some energy, but by that time, the deficit was too big to overcome," Drew said. "If there's a silver lining to tonight's game, it would be that most of our young guys got minutes. Giannis made the most of his minutes, Nate made the most of his, and Miroslav, who I have very seldom used, came in and made the most of his minutes."

Point guard Brandon Knight had the best night among the Bucks' starters, finishing with eight points and an assist in 18 minutes.

NOTES: One night after setting season highs with 14 points and six rebounds, Spurs C Aron Baynes was unavailable Wednesday due to a sprained ankle. ... The Spurs' .810 winning percentage marks the sixth time in franchise history that the team won at least 80 percent of their first 21 games. ... PG Nate Wolters led the Bucks in scoring for the first time this season. ... San Antonio improved to 9-1 against Eastern Conference teams this season. The Spurs are 7-1 in the past eight meetings with Milwaukee. ... The Bucks trailed from start to finish three times this season. ... San Antonio F Tim Duncan has 770 career double-doubles, the most among active players.

[© 2013 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

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