Balanced Spurs sink Sacramento
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Pau Gasol scored 24 points, LaMarcus Aldridge added 21, and the San Antonio Spurs stayed perfect on the road with a 110-105 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday at the Golden 1 Center.
The Spurs (9-3) led by as much as 107-89 in the second half in rolling to their sixth consecutive road victory. San Antonio didn't lead by fewer than 10 points until Sacramento made a futile 16-3 run over the game's final three minutes.
Kawhi Leonard finished with 20 points, Tony Parker scored 14 points with seven assists, and Danny Green added nine for the Spurs.
Green started despite taking a knee to the groin in a Tuesday win over the Miami Heat, keeping the Spurs' starting unit intact for the third game in a row. San Antonio hasn't lost when all five of its projected starters have taken to the floor.
The difference in the teams' starting fives was glaringly noticeable, with San Antonio's starters outscoring Sacramento's 88-48.
Center DeMarcus Cousins, who put up 37 points and 16 rebounds in Sacramento's 102-94 home loss to San Antonio on Oct. 27, struggled to score 26 while adding 17 rebounds and six assists Wednesday.
Matt Barnes added 15 off the bench, and Ben McLemore scored 14, but the Kings (4-8) dropped their third straight. Sacramento has lost seven consecutive contests to San Antonio.
Gasol typified San Antonio's dominance down low in the opening half, scoring 16 points and pulling seven rebounds in the first 24 minutes. San Antonio outscored Sacramento 22-10 in the paint in the first half.
The inside dominance helped the Spurs regain control after the Kings erased an early 13-point deficit and pulled ahead 30-27 with an 8-0 run to start the second quarter. Gasol and Aldridge each scored six, and the Spurs blitzed Sacramento with a 25-8 run heading into halftime.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich earned his 1,098th regular-season victory, tying him with Larry Brown for seventh on the NBA's all-time list.
NOTES: The Spurs announced before the game that they will retire Tim Duncan's No. 21 jersey in a postgame ceremony Dec. 18 they face the New Orleans Pelicans. Duncan retired at the end of last season after winning five championships in 19 seasons while averaging 19.0 points and 10.8 rebounds. ... Kings C DeMarcus Cousins, trying to keep his temper under check this season, was whistled for three technical fouls in Sacramento's first 11 contests, trailing only the Clippers' DeAndre Jordan in the first three weeks. Cousins is on pace for 22 after leading the NBA with 17 a season ago. ... Spurs C Dewayne Dedmon (left knee sprain) did not join the team for the two-game California trip and also will not play Monday at home against Dallas. ... The five teams the Kings play on their homestand owned a combined 37-16 record entering Wednesday.