Bertans, Leonard propel Spurs past Hornets
SAN ANTONIO -- Rookie reserve forward Davis Bertans had a career-high 21 points as the San Antonio Spurs posted their third straight victory and seventh in eight outings with a 102-85 victory on Saturday at the AT&T Center.
Bertans, who averages 2.6 points in 9.6 minutes per game, scored eight points in a crucial stretch of the third quarter. Kawhi Leonard finished with 19 in the win.
The game was tied at 60 before Bertans caught fire by scoring eight of San Antonio's 10 points in a three-minute stretch (including a four-point play and another 3-pointer) to help stake the Spurs to a 73-64 lead at the end of the third quarter.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 15 points (12 of those in the second half) and pulled down 11 rebounds for San Antonio (30-7). Dewayne Dedmon added 15 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, while Patty Mills hit for 13 points for the Spurs.
San Antonio's reserves outscored Charlotte's bench players 55-22.
Kemba Walker led the Hornets (20-18) with 18 points while Jeremy Lamb added 13. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist hit for 12, Marvin Williams scored 11 and Roy Hibbert pumped in 10 off the bench for Charlotte, which has lost four of its past five games.
Charlotte got an early boost from Walker's seven first-quarter points and led 22-17 with 2:14 to play in the period. But the Spurs got a rim-rocking dunk off an inbounds pass by reserve forward Bertans, a jumper from Mills and a 3-pointer from Ginobili to pull into a 24-24 tie after 12 minutes of play.
Mills' 3-pointer at the 2:40 mark of the second quarter gave San Antonio a short-lived, three-point lead, at 45-42, before the Hornets' Marvin Williams answered with a long-distance shot of his own to tie the game at 45. Walker's 3-pointer while being fouled with 24.3 seconds remaining in the half pushed Charlotte back into a 50-47 lead at intermission.
Leonard's 15 points led all scorers in the first half while Walker's 10 paced the Hornets. Charlotte outshot the Spurs 48.7 percent to 38.8 percent in the first 24 minutes and outrebounded San Antonio 24-20, but the Hornets' seven turnovers led to eight points for the Spurs.
Through the first three quarters, San Antonio's bench had outscored Charlotte's reserves 34-16.
The Spurs' reserves expanded the lead to 18 points, at 86-68, on a Jonathan Simmons 3-pointer (off an assists from Bertans) at the 8:58 mark and cruised to the finish line.
NOTES: San Antonio beat the Hornets 119-114 when the two teams met on Nov. 23 at Spectrum Center. ... The Spurs own a nine-game home win-streak against Charlotte dating back to Nov. 15, 2006 and have won 38 of the 53 games the teams have played all-time. ... Former Spurs C David Robinson blocked 11 shots at Charlotte on Feb. 2, 1990, setting a record for most blocks in a game by a Hornets' opponent. ... Former F Kelly Tripuka became the first player in Hornets history to score 30+ points in a game when he went for 31 against San Antonio on Nov. 19, 1988. Charlotte won the game, 107-105, to post the first road victory in franchise history. ? Hornets assistant coach Bob Weiss was the head coach of the Spurs from 1986-1988.