Spurs 98, Hornets 93
Manu Ginobili scored 27 points on 10-of-14 shooting off the bench as visiting San Antonio held off Charlotte.
Danny Green joined Ginobili with three 3-pointers and finished with 18 points while Tim Duncan collected 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs. Tony Parker contributed 10 points and five assists as San Antonio improved to 11-10 on the road.
Kemba Walker scored 28 points to lead the Hornets, who had a five-game winning streak come to an end. Bismack Biyombo recorded 12 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks but Charlotte dropped its eighth straight in the series.
P.J. Hairston’s 3-pointer capped a 6-0 spurt and drew the Hornets within 83-81 with 6:48 left and four straight points from Walker chopped it to 86-85 just over two minutes later. Ginobili responded with five straight points and found Tiago Splitter for a layup to make it 93-85 with two minutes remaining before Green helped seal it at the line.
Green knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to give San Antonio a 50-34 lead with two minutes left in the second quarter, but the Spurs settled for a 12-point advantage at the break when Ginobili finished out the half with a 3-pointer. Ginobili connected again from beyond the arc to give the Spurs a 74-63 edge before the Hornets cut it to an eight-point deficit heading into the fourth.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Walker has scored at least 28 points in each of the last six games. … Charlotte G Lance Stephenson (pelvic strain) returned from a 14-game absence and scored eight points in 18 minutes off the bench. … Spurs F Marco Belinelli (groin) missed his third straight game.