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 Their 103-77 victory over the Indiana Pacers was so complete and
so dominating that for one of the few times this season a sellout
crowd at Bankers Life Fieldhouse actually showered the home team
with boos.
But let there be no question. Handing the Pacers their worst home
loss in more than two years, adding to San Antonio's NBA-best record
of 58-16 and extending the streak are not the goals. Guard Tony
Parker, who led the Spurs with 22 points, made that very clear
afterward.
"The streak is great," Parker said. "The main goal is to win the
championship."
"We've never set any numerical goals," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich
said. "We've never set goals to win a division or a number of games
in a row or anything like that. We just talk about trying to be the
best team we can be come playoff time."
The win over Indiana broke the club record of 17 straight wins
achieved by the 1995-96 Spurs. And the Spurs did it in dominating
style from the beginning. After taking a 13-5 lead in the opening
minutes of the first quarter, San Antonio never trailed or was even
tied by the struggling Pacers.
Forward Boris Diaw came off the bench to score 14 points for San
Antonio, and forward Kawhi Leonard added 13 points and a game-high
11 rebounds.
"They played like champions over there and we have to respect that,"
said Indiana guard George Hill, who scored just seven points and
didn't have an assist.
"They are playing as well as anybody in the world right now,"
Indiana coach Frank Vogel said.
The Spurs, whose overall record and 29-8 road record are the best in
the NBA, return home to play the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
Indiana forward Paul George scored 10 of his team-high 16 points in
the second half, then wondered what had happened to a once proud
offense that carried the Pacers to the No. 1 record in the Eastern
Conference.
The spot vanished Monday night thanks to the Pacers' loss and the
Miami Heat's win over the Toronto Raptors. Miami (51-22) is now in
first place by percentage points over Indiana (52-23).
"We're not playing the game the right way now," George said.
For the first time in franchise history, the Pacers have been held
under 80 points in three straight games. Indiana has lost five of
its past six games.
"It's tough," George said. "It's taken a lot out of us because we're
not playing the game the right way."
"It's very strange," said Parker, remembering a 110-100 loss to
Indiana earlier this season.
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Center Roy Hibbert and guard Lance Stephenson each scored 15 points
for the Pacers (52-23).
Parker hit 10 of 18 shots, including 7-of-10 in the first half. He
finished with four assists and one turnover.
"Tony really set the tone for us with his aggressiveness
offensively," Popovich said. "He moved the ball, he scored himself,
he created a lot of situations for us and he did it throughout the
game."
The Spurs outrebounded Indiana, 40-34, led by Leonard's 11 and six
each by forward Tim Duncan and center Tiago Splitter.
When a dunk by Leonard put the Spurs up 91-71, the Pacers heard loud
boos coming from the crowd at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, where they
are 33-5 this season.
The Spurs took charge early. Guard Danny Green hit two shots,
including a 3-pointer, and Duncan added four points in a
game-opening 13-5 run. The Spurs opened up a 10-point lead in the
final minute of the opening quarter on a 3-pointer by Diaw.
Stephenson scored six points for the Pacers in the second quarter,
and Hill hit both shots he took, but Indiana trailed by double
digits the entire second quarter and most of the second half.
NOTES: G/F Danny Green, who missed San Antonio's game against the
New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday due to right foot inflammation,
started Monday night's game
at guard. He scored five points. ... Spurs F Tim Duncan is the NBA's
active leader in double-doubles. He has 796, which ranks No. 6 all
time. He has 29 double-doubles this season. ... Pacers C Andrew
Bynum missed his ninth consecutive game because of soreness and swelling in his right knee.
He has played only twice since the Pacers signed him Feb. 1 as a
free agent. .... Pacers F Paul George has at least one steal in 12
consecutive games, including three against San Antonio. He is ranked
No. 7 in the NBA with an average of nearly two steals per game.
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