The San Antonio Spurs moved to 57-13 with a 111-96 win over the Golden State Warriors on Monday, but Tim Duncan left the game with an apparent ankle injury, and the fear the Spurs' All-Star center could be lost for any period of time has stricken fear deep into the hearts of S.A. supporters. Duncan left just four minutes into the game, and didn't return.
Warriors Vs. Spurs: San Antonio Wins, But Tim Duncan Exits
The Spurs had no problem finishing off the Warriors without Big Fun(damental). Manu Ginobili was incredible, slicing through Golden State's, ahem, defense for 28 points on 9-18 shooting. Tony Parker got fancy, with 15 assists to go with his 17 points. Even Steve Novak was invited to the party! The spot player scored 13 off the bench, hitting three three-pointers.
With Duncan out, Brazilian rookie Tiago Splitter actually got some playing time. If Duncan misses games, Splitter could be a big factor in whether the Spurs race to the NBA Finals or whimper out of the playoffs.
In other action:
Magic 97, Cavaliers 86: Despite the almost respectable margin, Orlando led throughout and by as many as 26. Dwight Howard, bless him, had 28 points, 18 rebounds, four assists, four blocks, four steals and four turnovers.
Pacers 102, Nets 98: Roy Hibbert scored 24 and Danny Granger added 20, but only because Tyler Hansbrough chose to defer to them. Sasha Vujacic actually made this thing interesting (almost a miracle!) by scoring nine points in the last four minutes and change. But Indiana's lead had been too great.
Nuggets 123, Raptors 90: Denver is kinda serious about making some noise this year, aren't they? The Nuggets led by as many as 41 before settling for a 33-point victory. Ty Lawson dropped 23 points and eight assists. J.R. Smith -- J.R. Smith! -- almost had a triple-double with 13 points, eight assists and 10 rebounds. Ice Cube in "Today Was a Good Day," no?
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