Mills, Spurs steamroll Nets
NEW YORK -- Patty Mills scored 10 of his 20 points late in the first half when the short-handed Spurs took control, and San Antonio rolled to a 112-86 rout of the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.
Mills missed five of his first six shots, and he returned to action when the Spurs trailed by one with about 5 1/2 minutes remaining in the second quarter. Mills helped the Spurs surge ahead to a 52-42 halftime lead in differing ways.
The reserve guard sandwiched two 3-pointers around a 19-footer and a 20-footer in a span of 2:15, and San Antonio's lead never dipped into single digits again. Mills finished three shy of his season high by shooting 7 of 13 and making four 3-pointers.
The Spurs played without Kawhi Leonard (sore left hand), Tony Parker (sore left foot), Manu Ginobili (back spasms) and Pau Gasol (fractured left hand) but still enough.
LaMarcus Aldridge added 16, nine rebounds and five assists for San Antonio (35-9). Kyle Anderson contributed a season-high 14, while David Lee had 15 and Jonathon Simmons and Davis Bertans had 11 apiece.
Rookie Isaiah Whitehead led the Nets with 19 points, while Sean Kilpatrick added 17 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Brook Lopez was held to 12 points and did not play the final 16:43.
Brooklyn (9-35) shot 39.5 percent while committing 17 turnovers in its 13th loss in 14 games.
After Mills helped the Spurs surge ahead, San Antonio kept pulling away. The Spurs shot 61 percent and scored 12 points off turnovers in a 39-point third quarter to get a 91-69 cushion.
The closest the Nets came to getting it under double digits occurred when Trevor Booker converted a layup with 6:54 left in the third to cut the deficit to 66-54. The Spurs hiked the lead over 20 for the first time on a Mills 3-pointer with 4:28 remaining in the third, and he added another 3-pointer for an 82-65 edge.
San Antonio shot 47.4 percent from the floor and finished with a 50-38 rebounding advantage.
NOTES: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said F Kawhi Leonard (sore left hand) will not need any testing or treatment. ... Brooklyn GM Sean Marks said G Jeremy Lin (strained left hamstring) experienced a setback a few days ago doing basketball activities. Marks also said Lin was close to returning before the setback. In a lengthy post on his Facebook page, Lin said, "There's nothing more I want than to be on the court fighting with my team. Losing is hard. Wearing blazers every night gets old. ... Spurs G Tony Parker had an MRI exam on his sore left foot. ... Brooklyn rookie G/F Caris LeVert was rested for the first time since returning from his foot injuries Dec. 7. ... Nets G Joe Harris (sprained left ankle) missed his second straight game.