Final
Parker takes hard fall in Spurs' win over Hornets
Oct 29, 2009 - 4:02 AM By PAUL J. WEBER Associated Press WriterSAN ANTONIO(AP) -- Other than Tony Parker crashing to the floor, it was everything the revamped San Antonio Spurs wanted for a season opener.
Parker walked back to the bench OK after a hard landing in the third quarter, leaving the game with 17 points but with rookie DeJuan Blair and the Spurs already well in command of the New Orleans Hornets in a 113-96 victory on Wednesday night.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Parker simply had the wind knocked out of him after falling to the court almost horizontally following a layup. Blair, meanwhile, continues enticing the Spurs after a dominant preseason, getting 14 points and 11 rebounds in his NBA debut.
The Spurs spent atypically lavishly this summer to add veterans Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess. But so far, it's been the former All-America from Pitt getting the most buzz.
"He's showing really good maturity so far," Popovich said. "You just have to give him credit. He's got a great way about him and let the game come to him."
Chris Paul scored 26 points and got a technical foul along with Jefferson after they met fact-to-face at midcourt following Parker's hard fall. Both downplayed the exchange after the game, and Paul kept his sense of humor even though New Orleans was never closer than 15 points in the second half.
"We hoped to go 82-0, but we knew it wasn't too feasible," Paul said.
Emeka Okafor had 18 points and 10 rebounds in his Hornets debut after sitting out the preseason with an injured toe. He played 29 minutes, shooting 8 of 14 from the floor.
Also re-emerging healthy was Manu Ginobili, who scored 16 points. He hobbled through last season with bad ankles. Tim Duncan had nine points and 12 rebounds.
Parker was 6 of 9 from the field and had six assists before his hard landing set off a chorus of gasps at the AT&T Center. Parker had bumped off Hilton Armstrong in mid-air while putting up the layup, and remained sideways on the ground before turning over on his back and catching his breath.
He went to the bench with 2:21 left in the third and was done for the night. Parker left the locker room without speaking to reporters but appeared fine.
Ginobili, a former NBA sixth man of the year, became a starter last season but opened the season back on the bench for the revamped Spurs.
Hornets coach Byron Scott called Blair "a monster."
"You know, a 6-5, 6-6 center who comes in and plays 22 minutes and gets 14-11 is pretty impressive," Scott said. "Especially for a rookie."
Blair, whose locker is next to Duncan's, said he's simply the beneficiary of being on a good team.
"My teammates are taking me under their wing and showing me what to do," Blair said. "It's been excellent to have that."
The summer spending spree put the Spurs over the luxury tax threshold for one of the few times in the Duncan era. The hopeful payoff is a long season of what the Spurs had plenty of against New Orleans: balanced scoring providing an offensive punch that San Antonio sorely lacked last season.
Six players for the Spurs scored in double figures. Matt Bonner and Roger Mason had 11 apiece and Michael Finley had 10.
Jefferson debuted in the starting lineup but struggled, scoring five points on 1 of 7 shooting. McDyess had nine points off the bench.
Poor shooting put the Hornets in a hole quickly. New Orleans missed 10 consecutive shots over a 6-minute span in the first half while the Spurs rolled to a 16-0 run midway through the second quarter.
Notes: The Spurs rewarded guard George Hill before the game by exercising the option on his contract for next season. Popovich teased Hill as his "favorite player" throughout training camp but said, straight-faced, before the game that Hill has picked up the game after one season as well as Parker did. ...The Spurs have beaten New Orleans in nine of the last 10 games in San Antonio.
- NBA
FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
NEW ORLEANS 13 26 29 28 96
SAN ANTONIO 19 38 31 25 113 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: NOR - CHRIS PAUL 26, EMEKA OKAFOR 18,
DAVID WEST 18
SAS - TONY PARKER 17, MANU GINOBILI 16,
DEJUAN BLAIR 14
Oct 28 10:29 PM - NBA
FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
CLEVELAND 22 17 32 20 91
TORONTO 27 30 21 23 101 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: CLE - LEBRON JAMES 23, MO WILLIAMS 16, THREE
PLAYERS WITH 12
TOR - ANDREA BARGNANI 28, CHRIS BOSH 21, HEDO
TURKOGLU 12
NBA END 3RD QTR 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
NEW OR
Oct 28 9:57 PM - NBA
HALFTIME 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
NEW ORLEANS 13 26 39
SAN ANTONIO 19 38 57 HALFTIME
HIGH SCORERS AT HALFTIME
NOR - CHRIS PAUL 15, EMEKA OKAFOR 9,
DAVID WEST 7
SAS - MANU GINOBILI 10, ANTONIO MCDYESS 9,
MATT BONNER 8
Oct 28 9:07 PM - NBA
END 1ST QTR 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
NEW ORLEANS 13 13
SAN ANTONIO 19 19 END 1ST QTR
HIGH SCORERS AFTER 1ST QUARTER
NOR - DAVID WEST 5, EMEKA OKAFOR 4,
CHRIS PAUL 4
SAS - MANU GINOBILI 7, TIM DUNCAN 4, FOUR
PLAYERS WITH 2
Oct 28 8:31 PM
Related News
- The Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama Rivalry Has Started Early Dec 28
- Pat Frost retirement recognized at Spurs game Dec 26
- Merry Christmas greetings from Wemby Claus Dec 25
- Game Thread: NBA Christmas Day basketball marathon Dec 25
- Open Thread: Charlotte Hornets have never played on Christmas Day Dec 25
- Jeremy Sochan reminds us of his star potential against the Mavericks Dec 24
- Open Thread: ‘Spurs the Night Before Christmas Dec 24
- Another massive meltdown dooms Wemby-less Spurs in blowout loss to Mavs Dec 23
- San Antonio at Dallas, Final Score: Spurs can’t stop Doncic, lose 144-119 to Mavericks Dec 23
- Game Thread: San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks Dec 23
- Open Thread: Christmas gift suggestions for the Spurs family Dec 23
- Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks Dec 23